Danny Phantom: Facing the Future
by Aaron12
Summary: It's finally happened! Dark Danny has escaped from Clockwork's castle and set his sights on earth! Two mysterious new ghosts may hold the key to stopping him, but why are they attacking Danny and the others? And what is their connection to Clockwork? When these questions are answered, Danny and Sam's world will be forever changed.
1. Chapter 1

Danny Phantom: Facing the Future

Part 1

By Aaron

It was an ordinary building. An ordinary building on an ordinary street in an ordinary city. There was absolutely nothing in the world that would make anyone suspect that anything unusual could be going on inside. Nothing except for the fact that everyone who walked in or out of the building seemed to have a penchant for wearing white suits.

"So, where are we on this Ghost Portal development?" asked the hulking Commissioner of the infamous "Guys in White".

"Still working on it," one agent replied, walking close behind with a handful of others, "That business with the Fenton family a few months back put a real crimp in our development plans. None of their data was useful. If anything, it actually put us back in development."

"What about that Masters guy who turned out to be a ghost? Intelligence reports that he worked with the Fentons years ago. Anything on him?" the commissioner asked as they entered the building. As soon as they entered the door, the floor lowered into a wide elevator shaft leading underground.

"Gone with the wind after that whole ecto-asteroid fiasco. We raided his home and found an underground lab, but it was completely gutted. Either he or someone else got to it before we did and cleaned it out. Nothing even remotely salvageable."

"Speaking of which, where are we on this Danny Phantom kid?" the commissioner continued to ask, "Are we any closer to finding anything on him?"

"Well, making headway on that front has been…difficult of late," another agent replied, "After he and that ghost army saved the world from that asteroid, he's…well, he's become something of a hero as far as a most of the people are concerned."

"Which doesn't change our job in the least," the commissioner replied, "If he's a ghost and he's running loose out there, it's our job to make sure he's…WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!?!"

The commissioner and the other Guys in White agents could only look on in disbelief at the sight before them. Their entire headquarters had been completely disabled! Every one of their defensive weapons and surveillance cameras had been completely obliterated! Every computer crashed, every weapon had its wiring pulled! Even their every mode of transportation had been sabotaged!

"This is impossible!" the Commissioner yelled, running up a nearby flight of stairs as the other agents hit the main floor to assess the total damage. Running into a darkened Surveillance Room, he immediately headed for a monitor to see if the cameras picked up anything before they were destroyed. Looking at the tapes, what he saw next lasted only a few seconds, but it seemed to say everything as two ghostly figures, a man and a woman, rose up through the floor. The man was dressed in black pants, a black leather motocross jacket, white boots and gloves, with sunglasses and a white hood covering his face and white flame designs around the shoulders, the bottom sleeves of his jacket and the lower legs of his pants. The woman was equally concealed behind a red motorcycle helmet with a black visor and a skull face painted on it. She was dressed in a long black leather skirt with a split up the side, along with fishnet stockings and knee-high stiletto boots, fingerless gloves and a white leather trench coat with a black flame design on the lower half, a skull with black flames on the back and a barbed wire design running up both sleeves, all stitched in red. The commissioner was able to take the sight in just long enough before the man raised his fist to the camera and after a green flash of light, the image exploded into static.

"Infiltrated," he said under his breath in disbelief, "But how…?"

"Sir!" one of the agents called up from the main floor, "You'd better take a look at this!"

Running back down the stairs, the Commissioner joined his fellow agents in shock to see a curious message had been burned into the far wall of their headquarters. It was a single word, but instead of providing any answers, it simply posed more questions.

--SORRY--

The agents could only stare at each other, each one just as perplexed as the others. Little did they know that there was another witness to the crippled mass of technology that had once been their headquarters. As he beheld the carnage from the safety of the Ghost Zone, the face of Clockwork, the Ghost of Time, held a grim expression.

"So…they've finally arrived…," he thought out loud, pausing a moment to look over his shoulder. In a far corner of Clockwork's lair, obscured by darkness, a tiny rattling noise could be heard.

"…and not a moment too soon."

Clockwork's gaze became even more serious as a second faint noise penetrated the darkness. A noise that sounded almost like…muffled laughter.

* * *

Hours later and miles away from the Guys in White, without a care in the world, Danny Fenton and Sam Manson sat on the edge of the roof of Fenton Works. The night was perfectly clear, not a cloud in the sky, making it ideal for a little stargazing. Of course for Sam, feeling Danny's arm around her, she would be lying if she said she was thinking of stars at that moment.

"Danny, this really is a great night," she noted, smiling as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, it's okay, I guess," Danny replied with a simple shrug.

"'Okay?'" Sam shot back, Danny's indifference immediately getting a rise out of her, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong. You know I'm an all-around stargazer," Danny said before putting his arm around Sam a little tighter and tossing her an affectionate smile, "It's just…maybe right now, I've got something a little better to look at."

Sam merely replied with a smirk and a hollow chuckle.

"Oh, that was TOTALLY a line," she said cynically.

"Well…" Danny rolled his eyes with an amused smile, "…maybe a little one."

Just then, he felt Sam's hand gently run down his cheek as he turned back and looked into her eyes to see her smiling at him warmly.

"Well…," she stated softly, shrugging her shoulders, "I guess I can let it slide…this time."

Danny simply returned her gaze with a warm smile of his own as the two of them slowly inched closer, their lips passing within just millimeters of each other. But just at that moment, an icy breath escaped Danny's lips as an all-too familiar cold sensation gripped his spine.

"Oh no, no, no, no," he whined, pressing his forehead against Sam's, "Not now."

"It's a ghost, isn't it?" Sam sighed, trying hard to disguise her disappointment, but without much success.

"Sam, I…"

"Danny, don't," Sam cut him off, folding her hands over his, "Don't ignore it because of me. Just go."

Danny could only give a disappointed sigh himself before standing up and transforming into the unmistakable form of Danny Phantom. But even though she wasn't looking at him, Sam could feel him looking down at her and knew he would never leave if she gave even the slightest sign of being rejected. So she managed to paste a weak smile on her face as she looked up into his eyes, hoping it would be enough to encourage him to do what she knew he needed to do.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Danny said, trying to reassure her, "I promise,"

With that, Danny leaped off the roof and burst off into the night sky, leaving Sam on the roof, with only the stars to keep her company. Just then, a familiar metallic clang caught her ears as the door to the roof opened and Danny's big sister, Jazz poked her head out the door, her hand over her eyes.

"Sorry guys. I'm not interrupting anything private, am I?" she announced to anyone who might be outside. Sam, meanwhile, could only sigh in response as she lifted her legs and hugged her knees against her chest.

"I wish," she replied solemnly.

Before long, Sam was sitting with Jazz in the Fenton's kitchen. Sam had already downed her fourth soda and was already working on her fifth as Jazz tried to calm her down. She wanted so badly to wait for Danny to come back, but it had already been almost an hour and she knew she'd have to be heading home soon.

"Do you know how many dates we've been on?!" Sam raged after a quick belch, "Twenty three! Twenty three dates! Do you know how many dates we've actually finished?! Huh?! ZERO!! That's how many!"

"Sam, you guys knew what you were in for," Jazz replied, trying to sound soothing, "Believe me, I know how you feel because Danny says the exact same thing every time he comes home. I've seen how much it's tearing him up that he can't spend as much time with you as he wants. But all he can do is the best he can."

"Jazz, I'm not blaming him," Sam said, her voice now sounding more saddened than angry, "I know it's not his fault. But do they have to keep coming ALL THE TIME? Why can't my boyfriend have one night off? Is that really so wrong?"

Just then, Sam paused as she felt herself suddenly become flushed.

"Heh, 'boyfriend'," she said with a warm smile, staring out into space as she put her elbows on the table to prop her head up in her hands, "It still feels really cool to say that."

With that, Sam threw back the last of the fifth soda as she looked up at the clock on the wall. 9:45…she knew what that meant. Sighing heavily, she picked herself up and headed for the front door.

"Well, I'd better get going," she said, "If I'm not home in the next 15 minutes, my parents are going to have the police department, the Texas Rangers, the coast guard, the national guard and the Navy SEALS all on high alert. Just…tell Danny I'm sorry I couldn't stay."

Sam turned and reached for the door as Jazz could only stand a few feet away and sigh herself. As Danny's sister, it wasn't easy for her to see either of them so unhappy. But Sam opened the door just in time for see Danny on the front steps reaching for the knob.

"Danny…"

"Sam…" it was then that Danny realized just what time it was and he immediately felt guilty for being away so long.

"…you've got to get home know, don't you?" he concluded, unable to look her in the face.

"Yeah," Sam replied, unable to look up at him either.

"Well…" Danny wasn't quite sure what to say at first until he caught a glimpse over Sam's shoulder to see Jazz waving him on encouragingly, unable to understand what he was holding back for, "…can I…walk you home, at least?"

Sam simply looked into his eyes and gave a faint smile.

"Hey, you have to ask?"

The first few minutes were spent in complete silence as Danny and Sam walked down the street, hand in hand. Both of them seemed completely unsure of what to say. But it wasn't long before Danny broke the silence.

"Sam, I'm really sorry. I…"

"Danny, don't apologize," Sam cut him off immediately, "You didn't do anything wrong."

"It's just…I really didn't think it was going to be like this. I thought we could…"

"Danny…I know," Sam said, stopping and looking into his eyes as she held his hands and tried to offer as much reassurance as she could, "Look, I knew this was going to be hard from Day One. And…to be honest…I kind of like that it's hard. Because I need you to believe me, you are totally worth it…"

Sam paused for a moment as she looked away, not wanting Danny to see her disappointment as she finished her thought.

"…I just wish…it was a LITTLE easier…you know?"

Just then, she felt one of Danny's hands pull away from hers to nestle against her cheek, guiding her face back to look at him.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head and looking at her affectionately, "I do."

Just then, that same feeling crept up inside them from when they were stargazing up on the roof. They even found themselves smiling the exact same smiles. And for that moment, it was as if they had never been interrupted as they slowly moved closer once again. But this time there was nothing to get in their way and they both felt their hearts skip as their lips softly pressed against each other. It was just for a brief moment, followed by another soft peck, but the impact of it was more than apparent as they looked into each others' eyes.

"Well…" Danny stated, shrugging slightly with a slight grin, "…on the up side…that was pretty easy."

"Mm…Yeah," Sam sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling warmly. Danny needed no further encouragement as he held her close and their lips met once more in a long, soft kiss. At that moment, all doubts and insecurities vanished. All they knew at that moment was if time stopped and the night never ended, that would be just fine with them.

* * *

The next morning seemed to start out normally enough as Danny was getting dressed to face the day. Just then, the sharp drone of his bedroom phone caught his attention, although it was completely beyond him who would be calling first thing in the morning.

"Hello?" he asked curiously as he picked up the phone.

"Hello," a seductive, young voice replied on the other end, "This is Mayor Foley's personal secretary, just calling as a reminder that he has an appointment to visit a Mr. Danny Fenton at 8:00 this morning."

"Gee, you don't say," Danny replied sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"Do you need to reschedule?"

"No, I think I'm good."

"Very good. Mayor Foley should be arriving in the next five seconds. Have a nice day sir."

No sooner said than done. As soon as Danny hung up the phone, a huge stretch limo pulled up outside. A moment later, the front doorbell sounded.

"I've got it!" Danny called downstairs to anyone who might be listening before phasing through his upstairs floor to the main hallway of the house. Gently landing just a few steps away, Danny reached over and opened the front door only to see a red carpet come rolling in and down the hallway. Following close behind, decked out in his new look of a top hat and tuxedo jacket and followed by an enormous looking chauffeur was Tucker Foley. The once normal Tucker Foley.

"Mayor Foley…" he announced, with a grin that looked more than a little smug, "…has arrived."

"No kidding," Danny replied as Tucker strode into the house.

"That will be all for now, Hanson," Tucker stated to the giant chauffeur, "Leave the motor running. I'll only be a few minutes."

The chauffeur simply nodded once and closed the door with a thunderous slam, leaving Danny and Tucker to talk privately.

"You're reeeeally milking this whole 'mayor' thing, aren't you?" Danny noted cynically.

"I like to think of it as a fringe benefit," Tucker replied, still unable to disguise that he was truly enjoying the perks of being Amity Park's new mayor, "Seriously though, I wanted to talk to you. Have you read the paper this morning?"

"'Read the paper'? Tucker, who are you talking to?" Danny replied with a shrug as Tucker pulled a cut out article from his pocket. Danny took the article and scanned it briefly.

"'Plain, Ordinary, Nondescript Office Building Reports Sabotage'," Danny read the headline aloud, his monotone voice indicating that he really couldn't have cared less, "Tuck, you lost me here. What's so important about…?"

"Check the photo," Tucker cut him off, pointing at the grainy, black and white photograph, showing a small army of men in white suits, "Notice anything familiar?"

"The Guys in White?!" Danny blurted out in surprise.

"Guys in White?! Where?!" Jack Fenton's voice echoed down the hallway as his grinning face poked out from the kitchen.

"False alarm, Dad. No Guys in White today," Danny replied, quickly diffusing the situation.

"Ooookay!" Jack replied with his usual cheerful enthusiasm, his voice still able to be heard as he whisked back into the kitchen and headed for the basement, "MAN, those guys are cool!"

Danny merely rolled his eyes as he went back to scanning the article.

"'…unknown assailants…', '…destruction of equipment…', '…SORRY…'?" Danny murmured aloud before turning back to Tucker, "Tucker, why should I care about this? I mean, let's face it, those guys are idiots. Why should I worry about what happens to them?"

"I'm not saying you should," Tucker replied as Danny continued to look at the article, "But whoever this was just knocked out their entire operation. No offense dude, but not even YOU can do that. I'm just saying that anyone powerful enough to pull this off might be someone you WOULD want to worry about."

* * *

"He's got a point, Danny," Sam noted later that day as she walked with Danny down the street, her arm around his waist, "I mean, sure those guys might be losers, but crippling their whole operation is no small thing."

"I know, you guys are right," Danny replied, putting his arm around Sam's shoulder, "But let's say that whoever did this WAS a ghost of some kind. Where would I even BEGIN to start looking for someone like that?"

What Danny didn't realize was that he wouldn't have had to look far at all. Floating over the city, just out of range of his Ghost Sense, was the same female ghost who had attacked the Guys in White headquarters. Looking down at Danny and Sam, she didn't seem to have plans to do anything. Or if she did, she was certainly in no hurry to carry them out. But any plans she may or may not have had were quickly cut short and as a high pitched buzz caught her attention, giving her just enough time to dodge a pair of laser blasts that were headed right for her!

"Maybe you didn't get the memo!" a female voice caught the ghost's attention as she turned to see the armored form of Valerie Gray hovering on her rocket sled just a few feet away, "There's only ONE ghost welcome here in Amity Park! And lady, you ain't him!"

"Interesting technique," the strange ghost's muffled voice replied simply through her helmet, seemingly without any concern at all, "Is that really all you're good at? Backbiting?"

Valerie scowled in response as her armor and rocket sled sprang to life, unfolding a small arsenal of lasers and missiles all trained on this strange new intruder!

"Care to try me?" Valerie challenged, completely confident in her armor's ability to stand up to any threat. The ghost, meanwhile, simply crossed her arms and shook her head.

"This is a really bad idea, kid," she stated, again seeming to have no concern at all.

Valerie only responded with a yell as she charged forward, all her weapons firing at once! But all the ghost seemed to do was shrug as her hands flashed with green ecto-energy.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," she sighed as the energy in her hands burst forth into dozens of Ghost Rays, looking almost like ribbons of energy! Already in mid-attack, Valerie could do nothing to defend herself! All she could do was gasp in shock at the attack that was bearing down on her!

"Look Danny, all I'm saying is…" Sam started to say until an explosion in the sky cut off her words, instantly diverting their attention! Up until that point, she had still been walking with Danny, both of them oblivious to what was happening above them. But looking upward, both of them had just enough time to see Valerie plummeting to earth like a meteor!

"VALERIE!!!" Danny cried out! But before he could transform, a black and white blur flashed past, snatching Valerie from what would have been certain death! Landing just a few feet away was the same female ghost Valerie had been fighting, holding her in her arms before lighting lobbing her into the air, sending her rolling along the ground at the feet of a perplexed Danny and Sam. Valerie, meanwhile, could only let out a dazed groan as her damaged armor folded away.

"What did you do to her?!" Danny shouted in anger. But he was so focused on the ghost that he didn't notice a shocked expression forming on Sam's face.

"Well, at the risk of sounding like some elementary school tattletale, she took a shot at me first," she replied, crossing her arms, "Gotta tell ya, she REALLY needs to do something about that whole obsessive/compulsive thing."

Danny could only glare at the intruder in rage as he transformed, ready to charge right into battle! Sam, meanwhile, ran over to tend to Valerie, but at the same time, she still couldn't take her eyes of this strange new ghost.

"Use your head. Do I really look like I'm itching for a fight?" the ghost asked simply.

"Maybe not…" Danny replied, feeling his anger building inside, "But when you hurt one of my friends, YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE THAT I AM!!!"

Without a second thought, Danny burst forward, charging through the air at the new ghost with all the speed he could muster! But just then, another new player entered the game as the same male ghost who attacked the Guys in White headquarters landed just behind the female. His hand glowing blue, the male ghost's fist smashed into the ground, sending a pulse of blue ecto-energy along the street! Already moving at top speed, Danny was unable to stop himself as the pulse struck him hard, encasing him from the shoulders down in what appeared to be a miniature glacier.

"Danny!" Sam could only cry out in shock, knowing she was completely powerless to help him!

"Just chill, you," the male ghost spoke grimly, "We're not your problem…yet."

"Yet…?" Danny grunted as he strained to free himself from the ice that encased him, "Are you the ones who attacked the Guys in White?"

"Hmm, he found out about that faster than I thought," the female ghost noted to her male counterpart, "Not bad for someone who never reads the papers."

"Never reads the…how do you…?" Danny's could only blurt out as his anger slightly gave way to confusion, "Who ARE you?"

The female ghost paused before replying as she lifted her hand, now glowing with an orange ecto-energy.

"Aww, sorry cutie, but that's for us to know. And you…NOT," she replied as she snapped her fingers, creating a searing wall of fire around Danny! Instantly, Danny's icy restraint melted away, but the fire vanished just quickly enough to avoid him getting barbecued! Falling to the ground, he instantly picked himself up to look for the mysterious pair, only to see that they were long gone.

"Danny, are you okay?!" Sam yelled, running over to him.

"Well, I guess a bruised ego isn't going to kill me," Danny replied, transforming out of his ghost form, "How's Valerie?"

Realizing the fight was pretty much over, at least for the time being, Danny and Sam immediately rushed back over to Valerie. But floating over the city the sky, the ghost pair watched intently to the events below.

"Excuse me…'cutie'? You really do like to live dangerously, don't you?" the male ghost stated with a smirk.

"I think you already know the answer to that," the female replied, "Still, she DID come at me first. Not my fault. How's everything coming along?"

"Right on schedule. We're almost ready."

"Find anything on Vlad, if he's even still around at this point?"

"The lab was already picked clean by the time I got there. I wish I could say that made me feel better."

"I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes open then."

"I guess. Well, next up is Fenton Works."

"Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"To be honest, no. But we can't take any chances. We don't need ANY of them getting involved," the male ghost paused as he looked back down at Danny and Sam tending to a recovering Valerie, "Still, I'm more worried about THEM. Those are the ones we're going to have a hard time keeping under wraps."

"Don't I know it," the female ghost sighed as the pair turned invisible and flew off into the sky.

"Valerie, are you okay" Danny asked as Valerie gradually came to.

"Uunnh, I think so," Valerie groaned, "Did you see who it was?"

"Yeah, there were two of them," Danny replied, "Couldn't see their faces, though. Can you get up?"

"Yeah, I'm okay now," Valerie said as Danny and Sam helped her to her feet, "My armor took the worst of it. Just got the wind knocked out of me."

"Good," Danny stated, "I think we need to go see Tucker."

"Danny, what's going on?" Valerie asked, completely perplexed.

"I don't know," Danny answered grimly, "But I think we've got big trouble coming."

With no further encouragement, Danny, Sam and Valerie broke off into a mad dash for City Hall to find Tucker. But none of them noticed a familiar pair of blood red eyes staring at the events from a dark alley.

"Well, well, Daniel…" a voice stated as the smirking face of Vlad Plasmius emerged from the darkness, "What HAVE you gotten yourself into now?"


	2. Chapter 2

Danny Phantom: Facing the Future

Part 2

By Aaron

The large waiting room outside Tucker's office was deathly silent, save for the rapid clicking of a keyboard and the occasional phone ring. Danny, Sam and Valerie sat side by side just outside the door, waiting patiently for "Mayor Foley" to grace them with his presence. But after a few minutes, Danny looked over and noticed Sam wringing her hands nervously.

"Sam?" he whispered as he reached over and gently put his hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"I…I don't know," Sam replied, her voice trembling slightly as she looked over at him, "Danny, I want to say something, but you're probably going to think I'm crazy."

"Hey," Danny tried to sound encouraging as he placed his hand on her cheek, "Come on. What is it?"

"Well, it's just that…" Sam needed to pause for a moment and gather her thoughts before she looked up into Danny's eyes again, "Danny, there was something seriously not right about those two ghosts we just ran into."

"'Not right'? As opposed to what?"

"Well, you saw the coat that female ghost was wearing?" Sam said, still somewhat in shock, "Danny, that was MY coat."

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked, starting to get confused.

"I mean the design on that coat she was wearing. That's mine," Sam replied, "I've had that design in my head for the last three years. The flames, the skull, even the barbed wire design on the sleeves. I know how this sounds, but she was wearing it. It was the exact same design, right down to the last stitch. How is that possible? And why would she attack Valerie and then save her? And why were they both talking like they knew you?"

"I don't know," was all Danny could say as he put his arm around her. So far, the morning's events had left him confused as well. All he knew for sure was that Sam Manson was not the kind of person to spook easily and when she did, it was no small thing.

"Danny, I don't like this," Sam stated, "I could feel it. There was something really creepy about those two. Who WERE they?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Foley?" Tucker's secretary announced through her intercom, her buxom physique every bit as seductive as her voice, "Mr. Fenton, Ms. Manson and Ms. Gray are waiting for you."

"Excellent, Tanya. Show them in," Tucker announced back.

"The mayor will see you now," Tanya stated as Valerie headed for the door, followed by Danny and Sam. Valerie entered first as Sam and Danny paused to take another look at Tucker's voluptuous secretary, who merely went back to her computer work.

"He's reeeeally milking this whole 'mayor' thing, isn't he?" Sam noted more than a little cynically to Danny.

"Trust me," Danny replied, rolling his eyes as they entered Tucker's office, "You have NO idea."

"Hey guys," Tucker greeted happily as he sat back in his chair, his voice still with a hint of smugness, "So…what have you guys been doing today?"

"What have WE been doing while you've been sitting around all morning with your feet up on your desk?" Danny shot back sarcastically, "We've been getting our clocks cleaned by those two ghosts who attacked the Guys in White."

"They're here?" Tucker immediately sat up and took notice.

"Oh, they're here, alright," Valerie replied, tossing her backpack onto Tucker's desk, "Just look what one of them did to my armor. She scrapped all my weapons. It'll take at least a week to get back up to full specs."

"Not to mention that they flash froze and nearly flash fried me," Danny added, "We just thought, as our 'kind, benevolent' mayor, you might want to get involved for the sake of our town to let us know who we're dealing with here?"

"You know, you really get snippy whenever you lose a fight," Tucker noted as he reached over to the intercom, "Tanya, be a dear and put me through on the secure line, would you please?"

"Yes sir," Tanya's seductive voice replied and a special light on Tucker's office phone began to flash as he picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Vid?" Tucker spoke with a cocky smile, "Could you get a hold of Download and Thrash and meet us at the bunker please? We've got something to look into."

"Cool!" the female voice could be heard blasting through the receiver. Danny and Sam could only look at each other in surprise.

"Vid, Download, Thra…Masters' Blasters?!" Danny blurted out, "You're actually keeping those three punks around?!"

"Tucker, what were you thinking?" Sam chimed in, sharing Danny's contempt.

"Look, don't put all the blame on him," Valerie stated, "I kinda…sorta…knew about this too."

"WHAT?!" Danny and Sam could only shout out in shock.

"C'mon guys, don't take it personally," Tucker replied, trying to diffuse the situation, "Danny, face it, you belong to the world now. What are we going to do if you're on the other side of the planet one day and we need someone to watch our own backyard?"

"He's got a point, Danny," Valerie added as Tucker walked over to a bookshelf along the far wall, "I mean, let's face it, your parents…well, let's just say they can only do so much."

"Well, I guess I've got to go with you on that one," Danny grudgingly agreed as Tucker pulled out a book to press a button on the back of the shelf. Suddenly, the wall beside the shelf pulled out and slid away, revealing a large metal elevator which Valerie led Danny and Sam into.

"Wait a minute," Danny finally noted as the elevator doors closed, "Since when do you have a bunker?"

"Valerie helped me whip it up," Tucker answered proudly as the elevator began its descent, "I figured, what with being mayor and all, it would be a good idea to stay on the pulse in case things got ugly. So we set up this as a headquarters to keep an eye on things and to roll out in case of trouble."

"Gee, and to think this is taxpayer money that would have otherwise been wasted on petty things like economy, education, infrastructure…" Sam mentioned sarcastically as Danny noted her words with an amused grin.

"Hmm. You know, you two should have gotten together a long time ago…She's actually mellowed out a lot," Tucker noted to Danny and Sam before whispering to Valerie as the elevator slowed to a stop and opened its doors, "Well, here we are. Welcome to one of the world's foremost…WHAT THE…?!?!?!"

All four could only stand in shock at the sight before them. Everything in the bunker had been completely dismantled, much like the Guys in White headquarters had been just the day before! Computers were crashed, weapons sabotaged, vehicles disabled! Without a thought, Tucker ran down the stairs, staring in utter horror at the technological carnage that lay in front of his eyes. Falling to his knees, he seemed able to do little more than whimper as his bottom lip trembled.

"Who did this?" Valerie asked, as she turned to Danny and Sam, who were still assessing the damage, "Do you think it was those two ghosts from earlier?"

Danny didn't answer at first, still looking around the giant room at all the devastation. Just then, he chanced to glance over at a nearby wall and his look instantly turned acid.

"I wouldn't bet against it," he replied through gritted teeth as Sam and Valerie both glanced over to see what he was looking at. There, burned into the nearby wall, was the answer to their question. An answer that came in the form of a single word…

--SORRY--

* * *

At Fenton Works, Jazz was basically facing what had long become known as a normal day for her as she walked downstairs into the laboratory of Jack and Maddie Fenton.

"Jazz honey, is your brother around?" Maddie asked in her usual chipper demeanor.

"He went out with Sam about an hour ago," Jazz replied, "I don't think he said when he'd be back."

"Aw, that's too bad. I was hoping he could help us test out our latest invention," Jack remarked as he turned around, brandishing what appeared to be a giant bazooka.

"Jack, we already discussed this…," Maddie replied, trying to interject.

"I call it…Ecto-Bondo," Jack continued, "This baby unloads a rubber grenade that just keeps ricocheting until it hits its target. It only explodes on contact with any ectoplasmic substance, trapping any ghost in a gummy mess from which there is no escape."

"You know," Jazz replied indignantly, "I really have to protest you using your own son as a guinea pig now that you know he's half-ghost. After all, he IS family."

"Of course he's family," Jack answered, completely missing the point of Jazz's argument, "And what better way to ensure a little father/son bonding time?"

"Oh, I don't know. A baseball game or a trip to an amusement park sound like viable alternatives," a new voice suddenly chimed in behind them as all three Fentons whirled around. Sure enough, emerging behind them through the door of the weapons vault was the same male ghost who had destroyed not only the headquarters of the Guys in White, but had just recently helped wipe out Tucker's new bunker.

"A ghost? In our lab?" Maddie exclaimed in surprise, "How could you have possibly gotten past our security systems?"

"Yeah, that's already being handled," the male ghost replied as his female counterpart was upstairs, facing off against enough lasers and missiles to start a war in a small country.

"Oh sure, give ME the easy job," she muttered sarcastically as she let fly with dozens of the same strands of Ghost Rays that she had used against Valerie earlier. Meanwhile, the male continued his face off with the Fentons in the lab.

"Sorry about this," he explained, "We had to do a little re-wiring on your weapons to keep you busy for a while. Trust me, it's for your own good."

"EAT RUBBERY CONFINEMENT, ECTO-SCUM!!!" Jack called out as he raised his new Ecto-Bondo weapon to his shoulder!

"So much for dialogue. Eh…worth a shot," the ghost said with a shrug as he entered his phasing form, allowing the ball to pass harmlessly through him as Jack fired! What came next was a comedy of destruction as the ball continued bouncing off the laboratory walls, allowing nothing to stand in its way! It knocked out the stands of the Specter Speeder, causing it to crash onto its side! It smashed all the weapons on the tables, sending debris flying everywhere! Jack, Maddie and Jazz could only duck for cover as the ball then smashed through the beaker stands, sending the beakers crashing to the table and spraying them all with ectoplasmic material! The same ectoplasmic material that now made them targets as the ball bounced back, exploding on contact with their ecto-stained clothes and trapping them all inside a green, gummy shell!

"Well…at least it works," Jack said with a shrug as Maddie and Jazz struggled to pull free. The ghost, meanwhile could only look on dumbfounded as he at last became tangible again.

"Look, I'm really…re-really sorry…that this had to…," he tried to say as he couldn't keep himself from snickering, "We…we really are trying to…"

That was all he could get out before he suddenly began howling with laughter at what had just happened. In fact, he was laughing so hard he couldn't stay in the air anymore. The only way he could get out was to stumble up the stairs where the female ghost was waiting to greet him, standing among a collage of twisted metal and wiring that was once the Fenton Works defense system.

"So…that bad, huh?" she asked as he reached the top of the stairs. The male ghost could only nod as he let out let out another burst of laughter. The female merely sighed and followed her giggling partner out.

"Ungh! Unnngh! Well, add THIS to the list of things I'd rather not be doing today," Jazz commented as she continued to struggle against the rubbery shell.

"Don't worry Jazz! I'll get us out of this!" Jack announced as he dove his head down and bit off a huge mouthful of the gelatinous mass, eating it like taffy, "Mmmm. And to think Maddie, you laughed when I said we should make this stuff lime flavored!"

Meanwhile, still looking on from the Ghost Zone, Clockwork seemed to be keeping a close watch on the two mysterious ghosts.

"It's good that he has a chance to laugh now," he thought out loud, noting the male ghost's earlier giggle fit, "because he won't get many more of them for a while."

Just then, the rattling that had been so faint earlier, became louder as he looked back into the dark corner. But even more, he could hear a new sound. Almost like whispering.

"…think you're keeping me here…? I'll get out, you hear me…? I'll get ooooouuuuut!!!"

* * *

"My motherboards…my processors…my modems…my anti-virus programs…," Tucker could only kneel beside his disabled computers and sniffle before he began bawling uncontrollably, "YOU WERE ALL SO YOOOOUUUUNG!!!"

Danny, Sam and Valerie however, were focused on being more serious at the moment as Valerie examined one of the computers while Danny and Sam continued assessing the damage.

"Well, we could have the basic systems back up and running in a couple hours. But to get back up to 100 percent could take days. So I called off the Blasters. No point in bringing them in if we've got nothing for them to use," Valerie stated, turning to Danny, who seemed lost in thought, "So…who do think these two are? Do you think they might be connected to Vlad? I mean, we haven't seen him since after the asteroid."

"No…this isn't Vlad's style," Danny replied, still looking very thoughtful, "I mean, hit and run…everything disabled, but nothing destroyed…scrawling apologies on the walls…not to mention that if it was him, he'd want us to know it. These two…it's almost like they're trying to make sure we DON'T know who they are."

It was then that Danny looked over to see Sam looking worried. And he couldn't help but feel a little worried himself. She hadn't been herself since they had run into those two strange ghosts. And just seeing the concern on her face was enough to make him want to find out what was going on.

"Uh, Danny? I just thought of something," Valerie mentioned, shaking Danny out of this train of thought, "If these ghosts are targeting major ghost-hunting places, don't you think we should be checking on…?"

"THE FENTON WORKS!!!" Danny cut her off, wanting to kick himself for not thinking of it sooner as he ran over and grabbed Tucker by the collar of his sweater.

"Come on!" he continued, dragging Tucker back to the elevator, "This isn't over yet!"

"Ooohhh, be strong, my little ones!" Tucker sobbed as he called over to his damaged computers, "I will bring you back to me soon!"

But Tucker's emotions quickly changed from sadness to fear, being forced to get to the Fenton Works on Valerie's rocket sled while Danny carried Sam in his arms, both of them flying at top speed. All Tucker could do was hold Valerie tightly around the waist and bury his face into her backpack.

"Are we dead yet?" his muffled voice could be heard asking.

"Not yet!" Valerie answered, starting to get annoyed.

"ARE-WE-DEAD-YET?!"

"Tucker, this isn't a stretch limo! Deal with it!" Valerie shot back, "This thing wasn't built for getting there in style! It was built for getting there fast! So just shut up and hang on, okay?"

"So, uh…anybody here got a plan in case we run into those two again?" Sam asked, sounding a little nervous, "I mean, no offense, Valerie, but just ONE of them kicked your butt and that was when you HAD weapons. And Danny, I really hate to say it, but you didn't do much better. So what are we going to do?"

"We'll worry about it when we get there," Danny replied simply. As far as he was concerned, he didn't have time to be thinking ahead. All that mattered was getting back to his home.

Within minutes, the four of them had arrived at Fenton Works. And Danny wasted no time putting Sam down and bursting through the door, only to see the main floor of his house looking like a war zone. All the internal security weapons had either been pulled out or smashed in and the house seemed eerily silent. Just then, he heard a painful groan that could only be Jack's voice.

"DAD!" he cried out, flying down the hall and into the kitchen at top speed just in time to see Maddie helping Jack up the stairs, "Mom, is he okay? What happened to him?!"

"Uuuuuunnnh…lime…"was all Jack could shudder as he clutched his stomach.

"It's a long story, Honey," Maddie answered as Sam, Tucker and Valerie ran into the kitchen, "Oh, good. Could you kids do us a big favor and help Jazz clean up in the lab? I have to take Danny's father to the hospital to get his stomach pumped."

Danny and the others could only look on perplexed as Maddie helped a groaning Jack out the kitchen and down the hall.

"I'd like to actually go through an entire week without hearing that," Danny commented, "I really would."

But seconds later, more important matters caught their attention and they all hurried downstairs. Cleaning up the lab was already well underway as Jazz was busy sweeping up beakers and metal shards from the damaged weapons.

"Jazz, what happened? Who did this?" Danny asked, hurrying to find answers, "Was it two ghosts with their faces covered?"

"Well, yes and no," Jazz commented, tossing a quick glare at Jack's latest weapon, "You might say they had a little help."

Danny took a quick look around the lab, assessing the damage. Just then, he noticed a pair of mechanical gloves off in the corner that somehow, miraculously survived the devastation.

"Well, looks like these held up pretty…YEEOOW!!!" Danny's words were cut off as surge of energy ripped through his body, sending him smashing into the far wall when he tried to touch the gloves! It was then that he heard Maddie's voice coming from the top of the stairs.

"Oh Danny, before we go, I was going to warn you! Don't touch those gloves in the corner, okay Sweetie?! They're designed to repel ghosts by feeding back their own ecto-energy against them! We don't want them to hurt you!"

"Uh…good safety tip, thanks Mrs. Fenton!" Sam called up the stairs as she helped a dazed Danny to his feet.

"Okay," Danny groaned as he staggered back to the center of the lab, "Is there anything down here that's working that I can actually TOUCH?!"

"Doesn't look like it. What isn't smashed up looks like it was all disabled," Tucker replied, suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, "Just like…my poor babies…"

"Focus, Tucker," Valerie snapped, slapping him in the back of the head.

"Was that absolutely necessary?" Tucker snapped back.

"Well, if she hadn't, I would have," Sam replied.

"Guys, can we all focus here?" Danny cut in, starting to feel very annoyed, "We've got to start finding some answers. So far, these ghosts have hit all the major ghost hunting forces. The most obvious reason would be because we would be able to either track them or fight them, but why? What are they up to that they don't want anyone else in on?"

"All good questions," a familiar male voice echoed behind them. Danny and the others immediately whirled around to see the mysterious pair once again. But before either of them could react, the female ghost pulled a small mechanical cube from her pocket and pressed a button on the top. A second later, all five found themselves encased inside a sphere of energy!

"Too bad we can't give you any answers," she concluded.

Acting on instinct, Danny and the others could only respond to the first thought that entered their minds. Sam, Tucker and Jazz tried to push on the sphere, with no effect. Even an armored punch from Valerie and a blast of ecto-rays from Danny had no effect on their prison!

"Slight improvement on the Ghost Shield," the male ghost explained, "Not only does it seal in ecto-energy, this one seals in all biological life forms, ecto or otherwise."

"Actually, that's…not a bad idea," Valerie thought out loud, "But how do they know all this stuff?"

"Who ARE you?" Danny asked desperately, "Why are you doing this?"

"Who we are is on a need-to-know basis," the female replied, setting the cube on a nearby lab table, "And you don't need to know."

"As for why we're doing this, let's just say there's a party coming to town," the male ghost said turning to leave with the female before looking over his shoulder once more, "And none of you are invited."

"What's that supposed to mean? HEY!" Danny called out, but his words went ignored as the pair phased outside and flew off.

"Come on!" the female ghost called as they flew off at top speed, "It's going to go down any minute! We've cut this WAY too close!"

"I'm right behind you!" the male ghost called back.

"Great. Now what?" Danny thought out loud, "We're trapped here and they're flying off to do who-knows-what! This whole thing is crazy! We still don't know anything! It's like they keep pulling ahead and we're stuck in quicksand!"

"Hmmm," was Tucker's only reply as he thought hard for a moment, "Actually, there might be a way we can get caught up."

Danny and the girls looked on curiously as Tucker took a few moments rummaging through one of the side pouches on his backpack. Then, he pulled out a small box and lifted the lid.

"Recognize this?" Tucker announced as the others moved in for a closer look.

"That's one of Vlad's old spy cameras," Danny noted immediately.

"Yeah, we found one a few weeks ago," Tucker explained, "I've been tinkering around with it. It's just a theory, but if this shield only seals up anything organic, then MAYBE…"

"…the spy camera can pass through it since it's mechanical," Jazz chimed in, finishing Tucker's thought.

"It's worth a try," Tucker said, pulling out one of his PDA's and activating the spy camera, "It still won't get us out of here, but it might be enough to keep an eye on those two and maybe we can get some new info."

"So what are we waiting for?!" Danny exclaimed, feeling more than a little impatient. Tucker needed no further encouragement and it only took him a few seconds to tap into the spy camera with his PDA and send it flying.

"Okay, here goes," he announced, programming the camera to fly through the shield. And sure enough, true to Tucker's theory, the spy camera passed through the shield without incident.

"YES!" they all shouted as the spy camera took off up the stairs and into the sky outside Fenton Works. It took a few more seconds of searching until Tucker could just barely make out the image of two figures off on the horizon.

"It looks like they're…heading out of town," Tucker noted curiously, "Moving pretty fast too."

"Well, punch it Tuck!" Danny ordered, "We've gotta find out what's going on!"

Tucker immediately programmed the camera for pursuit. Fortunately, he had taken the time to increase its speed. It managed to catch up in just a few moments, but Tucker was careful to maintain a safe distance behind. After all, the camera may have been small, but it wasn't invisible and they couldn't take any chances of it being spotted. The two mystery ghosts, meanwhile, continued their flight in silence. Wherever they were going, they seemed pretty intent on getting there fast. It wasn't long before they'd reached the woods outside of Amity Park and a few minutes later, they found a small clearing where they landed. Tucker would fly the camera in behind them, programming it to watch from the safety of a large tree.

"Well, it won't be long now," the female ghost could be heard to say, "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," the male replied. But a moment later, he held out his hand to the female ghost who instantly picked up on his hint and reached back to hold it warmly. Meanwhile, Danny and the others could only look on in curiosity.

"This is just getting weirder," Jazz noted as they looked on, "What are they waiting for?"

"I don't know," Danny replied, looking like he could burn a hole right through the screen of Tucker's PDA with his gaze, "But I've got a feeling we won't have to wait long to find out."

Unfortunately, Danny couldn't have been more correct. Because still keeping a close eye on the mysterious pair, the enigmatic Clockwork gave a stern gaze.

"So…they've finally arrived," he noted as he raised his staff, opening a rift to Earth and tossing in a mysterious object. Meanwhile, Danny and the others could only watch the event unfold on Tucker's PDA as the rift opened in front of the two mystery ghosts.

"I recognize that," Danny said, now even more confused, "That's one of Clockwork's time portals. Clockwork…what does he have to do with this?"

However, Danny's question would be answered all too quickly as the portal stayed open just long enough for the object Clockwork threw into it to pass through into the clearing.

"It looks like…a Fenton Thermos?" Sam noted, still unsure of what it meant. But one look and Danny understood Clockwork's involvement all too well.

"No…" he whispered under his breath, "It can't be…"

"Danny? What's wrong…?" Valerie started to ask, but was cut off as Tucker's PDA screen flashed green. The Fenton Thermos Clockwork threw into the portal had exploded in rage of ecto-energy, looking almost like a miniature nuclear explosion! The two mysterious ghosts seemed to effortlessly stand their ground against the force of the blast, although the female held the male's hand a little tighter. Meanwhile, Danny could only look on stunned as a figure began to emerge from the settling green smoke. After all, he knew exactly who was coming. Tucker, Sam and Jazz could only gasp in shock a few moments later as the figure stepped forward. However, Valerie was still in the dark mostly.

"Wait a minute. Who…or WHAT…is THAT?" she asked, as curious as she was astonished.

"That…" Danny replied, feeling a cold fear gripping his heart, "…is the worst day of my life."

Danny had every right to feel as terrified as he did. No sooner did the words escape his lips than the twisted grin of Dark Danny, his evil future self, appeared on Tucker's PDA screen, emitting a sinister chuckle before making his first raspy declaration.

"He's baaaa-aaaaaaaack."


	3. Chapter 3

Danny Phantom: Facing the Future

Part 3

By Aaron

"Wait a minute," Valerie interrupted the feeling of dread that Danny and the others were feeling, "So you're saying THAT'S Danny? How is THAT Danny?"

"Okay, short version?" Tucker answered, "Evil version of Danny from an alternate future. Came to the past to make all of Danny's friends and family die in a horrible fast food explosion to make sure his future happened. Got beat, got caught, Clockwork took him. End of story."

"He's everything that could possibly go wrong in my life," Danny said as he turned away, hanging his head solemnly. Just then, he felt Sam behind him, holding him tightly and snuggling her head at the base of his neck. At that moment, he would have given anything for that to be enough to make him feel better.

"Whenever I have a bad night, he's always the one who comes back to haunt me."

"Oh, looks like someone rolled out the red carpet," Dark Danny announced in regards to the two mystery ghosts, immediately getting everyone crowded back around Tucker's PDA, "Well, I guess I'm feeling a little magnanimous today, so what's it going to be? Kneel and live? Or fight and die?"

"Well, I can't say I'm too big on the kneeling OR the dying," the male ghost replied as he and his female partner stood their ground, their hands already bursting with green ecto-energy, "Think we can mix and match?"

"Wait…so they're going to fight him?!" Tucker exclaimed as the others looked on, "Is that why they came here?"

"That might explain why they sabotaged everyone who could track them. And why they trapped us all here…," Valerie deduced, starting to put everything into place as she and Jazz looked at each other.

"They were trying to protect us!" Jazz chimed in.

"Maybe, but why? We still don't know who these guys are," Sam noted. She still hadn't been able to shake the uncomfortable feeling she'd been getting ever since she had seen them. She could feel it, deep down in her soul. Whether they were villains or saviors, there was something about those two ghosts that just wasn't right.

"You can't be serious," Dark Danny could only laugh as the two strange ghosts prepared to face him, "Do you really think you're a match for me?"

"Hmmm, good question. Here's a better one…" the male ghost stated before throwing his fists forward, unleashing two enormous Ghost Rays which sent Dark Danny careening into the woods on the other side of the clearing with all the force of a cannonball!

"Nice shot," Valerie commented, more than just a little amazed.

"…What do YOU think?!" the male ghost finished his thought, his fists smoldering with green smoke. But his answer came in the form of an angry Dark Danny bursting from the woods, sending an enormous ball of ecto-energy towards the pair!

"Ooooo, a little on the spicy side!" the female ghost noted, her right hand shooting a wave of her Ghost Ray strands to ensnare the ball, "We're gonna have to send it back!"

No sooner said than done as she whipped around, sending the ball of energy back at Dark Danny! However, he was able to turn intangible just fast enough for the ball to pass harmlessly through him and explode on the other side of the clearing! Turning solid once more, Dark Danny's face was beginning to change from a sinister confidence to clear annoyance!

"Wow…these guys are good," Tucker noted as the battled unfolded onscreen.

"Yeah, but for how long?" Danny added, feeling far less optimistic, "Those two have no idea what they're up against. We've got to get out of here NOW!!!"

Transforming back into his ghost form, Danny let loose with searing Ghost Ray blast, desperately trying to break the shield! He had never put this kind of power into his Ghost Rays before, but the desperation on his face more than told the story. And he wasn't letting up for even a second! Still, desperation wasn't going to change the fact that his efforts weren't getting them anywhere.

"DANNY!!" Sam cried out, grabbing his arms and holding them to his sides as she looked into his eyes, "Listen to me! You've got to calm down!"

"How can I calm down?!" Danny shouted, his voice giving away his panic, "Sam, you don't understand!! You can't know!!"

"You're right," Sam spoke in a hushed tone as she reached up and held Danny's face in her hands, "I don't. But I DO know that you're not going to be able to stop ANYONE if you wipe yourself out here."

For the moment, Sam's words had the desired effect as Danny looked at least a little more at ease. Pressing her forehead against his for a brief moment, Sam then turned her attention to the Tucker, Valerie and Jazz.

"We've got to think. There's got to be some way to shut this thing down."

For a moment, there was silence as the five of them tried to imagine how they could possibly escape from their prison. After all, it seemed the perfect shield. Ecto-energy didn't affect it and it had been modified so organic matter couldn't penetrate it either. The only weakness it seemed to possess was that artificial material like Vlad's spy camera could pass through it.

"Wait a minute," Jazz suddenly piped up, "Valerie, your armor. Why don't we use that?"

"I already tried that," Valerie replied, remembering how even her armor couldn't break the shield.

"No, that was when you were wearing it," Jazz explained, "What if you weren't?"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Tucker chimed in, "Remember that time Technus took it over? We should be able to do the same thing. If I could route the system through my PDA, it should just pass right through the shield like Vlad's spy camera did. Then we could get it to turn off that box and deactivate the shield."

It took only a few minutes for Tucker to set the plan in motion. At first, the control seemed rickety, with the armor making only the most basic rigid movements. But after a few moments, it became smoother as Tucker sent it walking slowly towards the shield. With a simple command, Tucker sent it to reach forward as Danny and the girls all held their breath in anticipation. If this didn't work, there wasn't much more they could do. But true to theory, Valerie's armor reached towards the shield and easily passed through it.

"Yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about! Who's the man?! Who's the man?!" Tucker gloated triumphantly as he had the armor strutting around the lab, dancing "The Robot".

"TUCKER!!!" Danny and the girls shouted.

"Alright!" Tucker surrendered, "Jeez, that's gratitude for you."

"Pat yourself on the back AFTER you actually get us OUT of here!" Sam scolded. With that, Tucker programmed the armor to walk over to the cube placed on the table and with a simple button press, the shield dropped away.

"I'M OUTTA HERE!!" Danny shouted, not wasting another second as he phased through the lab ceiling and was gone.

"Danny!" Sam yelled as she ran towards the stairs.

"Sam, wait! Where are you going?!" Jazz called after her.

"Wher do YOU think? I've gotta go after him!" Sam replied, the worry in her voice clearly apparent.

"What can YOU do?" Tucker asked simply, "We don't have anything to fight with."

"I don't know," Sam sighed, "But someone's got to keep Danny from doing something stupid. He's not thinking straight right now. And if he goes into a fight like that, he doesn't stand a chance."

Tucker, Valerie and Jazz didn't reply right away. After all, they knew Sam was right. And even if her wanting to go after Danny was a futile effort, they knew they wouldn't be able to stop her if she had her heart so dead set on going. In the end, it was Valerie who responded first as she tossed Sam her backpack containing her armor.

"Here. You won't be able to fight with it, but at least you'll be able to keep up with him." She said straightforwardly. Sam merely nodded in thanks.

"Okay, you guys see if you can get anything up and running around here!" she called as she slung the backpack over her shoulders and ran up the stairs, "If you do, you know where we'll be!"

With that, Sam was gone as well, leaving Tucker, Valerie and Jazz inside a still-destroyed lab. All they could do was look around and wonder what, if anything, they could possibly salvage.

"You'd think the least they could have done is help us get the Specter Speeder upright," Jazz was the first to comment, "At least THEN, we could have GONE somewhere."

"So…now what?" Valerie said as all three of them looked at the overturned vehicle and then at each other. Tucker merely shrugged.

"You push, I'll pull?"

* * *

Miles away from the situation in Amity Park, deep in the woods, a small labyrinth of underground caves could be found. Hikers rarely ventured so far into the forest, leaving them for the most part, unexplored. But anyone who chanced to pass by would certainly have been curious to see a strange light coming from one of the entrances…as well as the yells of frustration coming from within.

"BLAST!!!" Vlad Plasmius shouted as he kicked over a lab table, "How am I supposed to keep an eye on Daniel and those two new ghosts if nothing around here works!!! It's bad enough I had to strip down my lab and move it into this hole, but this puny backup generator is barely enough to keep the lights on!"

Just then, Vlad heard the gentle mewling of his cat, Maddie, breaking him from his rant and causing him to turn back into Vlad Masters. Looking over at her curious gaze, all he seemed able to do is groan in despair.

"Oh, to think that this is fate's grand design for a man of my stature," he sighed, "Ah, we had the good life, didn't we Maddie? Money, houses, money, cars, money, power, money…and to think we came so close to having the world as well. Even now I can still taste it. But now look at me. My money is gone, my power is gone. I don't even have Wisconsin to go back to anymore. Is this truly the destination of my life…where all my hard work and all my plans have led me to?"

"No! I won't accept that!" he shouted, instantly changing his mood, "This is just a minor setback! All men of greatness have had minor setbacks! It didn't stop them and it won't stop me! Mark my words, Vlad Masters WILL be on top of the world again! And THIS time, NOTHING will stand in his way!!"

Just then, a brief chime on a laptop computer broke Vlad from his reveling speech.

"What's this?" he thought out loud, "Someone's activated one of my old spy cameras. I wonder what they're looking at."

Calling up a view screen, Vlad could only be astounded at what he was witnessing as Dark Danny was still engaged in battle with the two strange ghosts.

"Curiouser and curiouser," he noted, "Now there's ANOTHER new ghost. And that third one…if I didn't know any better, I'd SWEAR that was Daniel. But it can't be…he's too big, too old. And his costume is different. But still…just what is going on here?"

* * *

Miles away, Vlad was the last thing on Danny's mind as he tore through the sky at top speed towards the clearing where the battle was being held. Sam, meanwhile, was using Valerie's armor as best she could to keep up, but having never used it before, it was taking everything she had just to keep from falling off the rocket sled even at its slowest speed.

"Yee…whoa. Whoa, come on now," Sam blurted out as she tried desperately to keep both feet on the sled, "Come on Sam, get it together. Danny needs you right now. Let's get a move on here."

With that, she planted both her feet as firmly as she could as she tried to go faster without losing her balance. But unaware that either she or Danny were coming, the two mysterious ghosts continued their fight with Dark Danny. The clearing and even most of the surrounding woods had been completely ravaged by this time. But despite letting loose with some of their best moves, neither side was showing any signs of slowing down!

"You know, I really hate to say this, but you're a lot tougher than I thought you'd be," the female ghost commented, "But that's okay. We are too."

Dark Danny only snarled as he locked his hands together, firing an enormous Ghost Ray at the pair! Both ghosts were able to dodge the attack in time however, and they were lucky they did. The blast was of such power that it tore through the trees behind them and even carved a giant hole into the side of a nearby mountain before finally dissipating!

"Alright, that's enough of that!" the female ghost added, "This has gone on too long already!"

With that, she burst forward, charging at Dark Danny with all the speed she could muster! Dark Danny stood his ground, throwing a handful of ecto-energy spheres directly at her, but she was able to phase through the attack, allowing the spheres to explode harmlessly behind her! Remaining in her phased state, she charged right through Dark Danny before stopping in mid air and unleashing dozens of her Ghost Ray strands, wrapping him up tight! She then spiraled in mid air at top speed until the strands were twisted as tight as she could make them and with a yell, she planted her feet hard into the ground and heaved with everything she had, sending Dark Danny up over her shoulder in a high arc! As the Ghost Ray strands unwound, Dark Danny was caught in a disorienting spin before the throw planted him head first into the ground! An impressive attack, but one that seemed to do almost as much harm to the female ghost as she immediately became disoriented, trying hard to keep her balance.

"Uuuuhhhhokay," she murmured as she grabbed the sides of her helmet, trying to shake the cobwebs out of her head, "I won't be able to do THAT again for a while."

But Dark Danny wasn't about to give her time to recuperate. Breaking free of the Ghost Ray strands, he tore his head out of the ground and roared as he unleashed a Ghost Ray in her direction! Just then, her partner jumped in and punched the ground hard, sending up an enormous wall of ice to slow the attack, giving him just enough time to pull her out of the way.

"Alright, let's see if THIS'LL hold you!" he shouted, firing a blue Ghost Ray which struck Dark Danny, encasing him in a small glacier, just as he had done with Danny earlier! Admittedly, it had been a harder go than he'd expected, but it was looking like between the two of them, they had this fight with Dark Danny just about all sewn up. Just then, an icy breath crossed his lips and he felt a chill down his spine.

"Oh no," he thought out loud as he whirled around to see Danny bearing down on the battlefield in a rage, "Not now!"

"I've got him!" the female ghost replied as she took off to intercept Danny. But just then, Dark Danny's glacial prison erupted in an explosion of ecto-energy!

"You idiot!" he gloated, "Do you know how long I was trapped in that stupid Thermos?! And you thought a little ice tomb was going to hold me back?!"

"Well, I'd really kind of hoped," the male ghost replied simply. Meanwhile, Danny's advance was cut off as the female ghost hovered in mid-air, blocking his way.

"What are you doing here!" she yelled at him, "This is our fight! You weren't even supposed to get involved!"

"Rrrrr! I don't have time for this!" Danny growled as he went into his phased state and passed right through her. But as soon as he became tangible again, he found himself wrapped up in dozens of her Ghost Ray strands as she pulled him back towards her and kept him tightly bound!

"No! Let me go!" Danny could only cry out as he struggled to free himself, "You've got to let me stop him! You don't know what he is…what he'll do!"

"Of course we know what he is, you idiot!" the female ghost shouted, "Why do you think we're here?! Honestly, you NEVER think these things through!"

"Stop…talking like you know me!" Danny shouted back, "Who…ARE YOU?!?!?!"

Danny's rage finally exploded as a burst of ecto-energy tore out of his body, breaking the Ghost Ray strands and knocking the female ghost back! Without a pause, Danny whirled around, firing a Ghost Ray of his own which blasted her right in the head, knocking her motorcycle helmet clean off! Danny still couldn't get a good look at her face as her hand was covering her head and her shoulders were still smoldering from the Ghost Ray he'd fired. But once she moved her hand and the smoke cleared, he took one look at her glaring face and his eyes widened in shock.

She had earrings all around her outer ears. She even had a tiny nose piercing on the left side and a beauty mark piercing on the right side of her lip, along with a belly ring and an eyebrow stud besides. And she was older too, by about at least 10 years. Her figure had definitely filled out considerably in that time. But even though her hair was white and a little longer, the style was still the same. And her face…her eyes were green, but there was no mistaking that face! Danny couldn't believe it at first and his jaw could only hang open as floated in the sky, frozen. It had to be some weird hallucination. But it wasn't. Deep down, on some level he couldn't explain, he knew it wasn't his imagination. It could only be one person…!

"S…S-Sam?"

"Nice, Fenton…!" a male voice called out behind him as Danny whirled back around to look down at the male ghost standing in the clearing, looking up at him. It was clearly obvious who it was at this point. But even as the stranger peeled back his hood, slid off his sunglasses, and unzipped his jacket just enough to reveal the instantly recognizable "DP" symbol on his uniform underneath, Danny was still unprepared for the sight of his own face scowling back at him!

"Real…nice!"


	4. Chapter 4

Danny Phantom: Facing the Future

Part 4

By Aaron

Somehow, Sam managed to land the rocket sled a few hundred yards from the clearing. Having no weapons and not wanting to be an easy target, she didn't see any harm in making it the rest of the way on foot. She could already see the extent of the devastation, but hearing only silence made her concerned. Either they were all taking a break…which wasn't very likely…or that meant that somebody had already won the fight. But who? Trying desperately not to think of the worst case scenario, she decided to shift all her focus into just getting to the battle as the picked up her pace.

As she reached the clearing a few minutes later, she could see that there had been indeed a pause in the action. Looking up, she saw Danny facing off against the female ghost. They were too high up for her to see who it was, but she had to wonder why he was just floating there. But then she turned her attention to the ground and her eyes went wide as she finally saw who was standing across from Dark Danny.

"No…Danny?!" she blurted out in shock, not thinking about the danger she was putting herself in by giving herself away.

"Oh great," the other Danny looked over at her and rolled his eyes, "This just keeps getting better, doesn't it?"

Dark Danny could only look on, completely dumbfounded. But suddenly, his lips curled into an amused half smile as he started putting everything together. And soon, he let out an insane howl of laughter, echoing through the wilderness.

"Ooooh, this is just TOO good!" he chuckled, "I see that pain, Clockwork, still can't mind his own business! I guess I'm going to have to have a little talk with him once I'm done here."

"Hey, you ARE his business," the other Danny replied, turning his attention back to the matter at hand, "Why do you think he asked US to come in? Of course, I'm only too happy to deal with YOU, if for no other reason than I can't have you trashing my rep by going around looking like THAT. I mean, the goatee and the ponytail are bad enough, but that tacky cape? What's THAT about?"

"Let me get this straight. YOU'RE criticizing ME?" Dark Danny shot back, "What's THAT getup supposed to be…'Ghost Zone Gangsta'?"

"Uh, is this really a good time to be discussing fashion tips?" the other Sam called down, clearly annoyed and Sam immediately took notice. She still couldn't make out her face, but why did her voice suddenly sound so familiar?

"Mmm…good point," Dark Danny said with a simple nod. But then, like a blur, his arm whipped out, firing a Ghost Ray before anyone knew what was happening! Instinctively, the other Danny thought himself the target and tried to defend, but Dark Danny merely smirked as he flicked his wrist and the Ghost Ray arced around him! It then became clear just who his actual target was…!

"SAM! NOOO!!!" Danny screamed as Sam had no time to react to the attack that was bearing down on her! Even the other Danny, who had been completely caught off guard himself, could only watch in horror as he had no way to save her…!

Just then, like a bolt, the other Sam appeared in front of her, throwing up a shield of ecto-energy to protect them both! But Dark Danny's Ghost Ray caught her completely unprepared as it exploded on impact, sending both of them flying through the trees! Sam was mostly protected and was sent sprawling along the ground, but the other Sam took the full brunt of the blast and was knocked back farther, striking a nearby boulder! The impact knocked her out of her ghost form as she turned human again, crumpling to the ground unconscious. Meanwhile, the other Danny could only look on in shock before turning his attention back to Dark Danny, his green eyes glowing with rage and his hands burning with ecto-energy.

"You miserable son of a…"

"Uh, uh, uh," Dark Danny cut him off with a wagging finger and a twisted grin, "Don't forget who you're addressing. Do you really want to talk about your mother like that? So…ready for Round 2?"

The other Danny only responded with a loud yell as he fired both barrels of his Ghost Rays, sending Dark Danny flying! As the other Danny flew after him, Danny could only feel torn as he was unsure which situation needed him more…the girlfriend or the battle. But he was only conflicted for a brief moment. After all, there was really only one choice. He had to follow his heart.

"Sam!" he cried out as he flew down towards the woods.

* * *

Luckily only suffering a few scratches and scrapes, Sam managed to pull herself up to her feet. But she was still in a daze as she tried to get her bearings. One thing was for sure though, that last attack had been WAY too close for comfort. If that ghost hadn't saved her at the last second…! Just then, she heard a soft groan behind her and turned around to see someone lying in front of a large boulder just a few yards away.

A second large rock obscured the woman's face as Sam rushed to help. All she could see was what she was wearing. A pair of extremely wide legged black pants, covered in straps and chains, along with a black tank top and a pair of what appeared to be evening gloves with a spider web design. For a split second, Sam had to think that whoever this woman was, she had pretty cool taste in clothes. But comparing notes would have to wait. At the moment, the first priority was seeing if she was okay. But a moment, later, as she finally saw the face of the person who saved her, all thoughts exploded from her mind as she gasped in shock. Meanwhile, the other Sam gently groaned as she slowly found herself coming too. Her vision was still very blurred, but she could just make out the image of Sam looking down on her with a stunned look on her face.

"Uunnnh…oh great…" she said groggily, rolling her eyes before her head fell back and she lost consciousness again. Sam, meanwhile, could only look down at her, her shock refusing to fade. Ever since she had seen these two strange ghosts, she had this alarm going off that something about them wasn't right. And now, she finally understood why. She could feel her hear pounding in her chest as the thought kept running over and over in her mind. She just couldn't get her head around it. Still, even with all the piercings, that face was unmistakable…and the familiar medallion hanging around her neck that could have only come from one person…it eliminated all doubt. The woman lying there really was her! And if that wasn't enough, she was half ghost too! Just like…

"Sam!" Danny's voice indicated that he wasn't far off. But for some reason, Sam didn't reply to him. Turning away in silence, she activated Valerie's armor and took off into the sky. Danny wouldn't appear until a few moments later.

"You!" he called out, realizing the woman lying by the boulder wasn't his Sam. The other Sam, meanwhile, just groaned as she found herself coming around again. Helping her to sit up, Danny placed his hand behind her head and felt a huge lump. Acting quickly, he gently massaged the back of her head, using his freezing power as a makeshift ice pack.

"There," he asked soothingly, "Is that better?"

"Uuunnh…it helps," the other Sam replied, still groggy, "Hey, where'd she go?"

"Sam? I mean…MY Sam? She was here?" Danny asked curiously. After all, he couldn't help but wonder if she was here, why didn't she stay? And where did she go? But at the same time, he couldn't worry about that. As long as he knew Sam was alright, that alone was enough to put his mind at ease as he focused his attention to more important matters. Looking at this young woman who could only be Sam Manson from the future, Danny had no end of questions to ask…not the least of which was what she was doing with ghost powers of her own. But his search for answers would have to wait. Even if this other Sam was in any shape to answer his questions, there were more important problems to deal with.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, the other Sam was stable enough to get back on her feet as Danny helped her back through the woods to the clearing. Fortunately for them, as soon as they walked through the tree line, Tucker, Valerie and Jazz flew down in the Specter Speeder.

"Hey Danny!" Tucker called as he ran out to meet them, "We got the Specter Speeder back up and…! …whoa…"

"Danny," Jazz could only look on stunned along with Tucker and Valerie, "Is that…Sam?"

"Uh, yes…no…well, kinda…"Danny found himself at a loss for words, "Look it's a long story okay? Just…can you guys take care of her? I'm running around loose out there and I've got to go help me stop myself!"

"Uh, Danny? What are you talking about?" Valerie asked, as perplexed as everyone else.

"You know what? I really don't know anymore," Danny sighed in frustration, "All I know is I've gotta go NOW!"

"Danny…wait…" The other Sam tried to call out to him, but she was still too groggy to call out loudly and her plea went ignored as Danny burst off after Dark Danny and his other self, "That idiot…He never listens…Gotta go after him…Doesn't know what he's getting into…!"

The other Sam braced herself and Tucker Valerie and Jazz could only look in surprise as the other Sam appeared to try transforming into a ghost form! But she only got about halfway through the change before her head throbbed and she crumpled to her knees.

"Whoa there!" Jazz said as she rushed to the other Sam, propping her up and helping her over to the Specter Speeder to sit her down on the ramp, "Now you're obviously in no condition to be going after anyone right now. So just take a few minutes to rest up. And while you're doing that, why don't you tell us…?"

* * *

"…Just what is going on here?!" Vlad's voice echoed through the cave as he raged all over his makeshift hideout, "THREE different Danny Fentons running around? Hasn't just the one been enough of a thorn in my side?"

"So he really DID send you guys from the future," Tucker's voice broke Vlad from his rant as he turned back to see the images from the spy camera still playing on the computer screen. Jazz and Valerie were trying to keep the other Sam comfortable on the ramp of the Specter Speeder. Meanwhile, Tucker was closely examining the Time Medallion around her neck, being careful not to remove it, as it was the only thing tying her to their timeline.

"How odd," Vlad noted, squinting as he stared closely at the screen, "That woman…she looks almost like that bratty Manson girl. This CAN'T be a coincidence."

"It was all Clockwork's idea," Future Sam explained, "He knew that other Danny wouldn't stay locked up forever. He also knew that if he ever got out, now that he exists outside of time, he wouldn't need to keep Danny…YOUR Danny alive anymore."

"That's why he brought you guys in," Jazz responded, "Clockwork knew Danny wouldn't be able to beat him again, but he knew YOU could."

"That's why you trashed all the ghost hunting equipment too?" Valerie added, "To keep us out of it?"

"Obviously, we couldn't tell you what was going on," Future Sam continued, "But we couldn't let you get involved either. The bottom line is you guys just weren't up for this. The plan was we were supposed to keep you guys off your feet just long enough to wrap things up here. Between the two of us, it should've been a 10-minute fight. Then we would've taken off and you guys would have never known it had even happened."

Future Sam paused a moment with a heavy sigh.

"This was supposed to be simple."

Vlad had already heard more than enough. Turning away from the screen, he headed straight to one of his salvaged bookshelves and pulled down an old text from one of the topmost corners.

"Let's see, Clockwork…Clockwork…" he noted as he flipped through the book to the proper page, "I remember hearing rumors about him off and on. Interesting, I thought he was just a legend. But then again, the Infi-Map was only thought to be a myth too."

Scanning the page, Vlad was thoughtful for a moment before a wicked grin crossed his lips.

"The Ghost of Time, huh? I like the sound of that," he stated with a sinister tone. Meanwhile, Tucker and Valerie were off in the Specter Speeder while Jazz tended to Future Sam, who was resting in the back.

"I've got to get back out there," Future Sam groaned, getting angry with herself that her head wasn't clearing up, "Our best chance was fighting him together."

"Listen to me…Danny…" Jazz's voice caught Future Sam's attention as she looked over at her serious gaze, "…YOUR Danny, I mean…is he strong enough to win without you?"

Future Sam didn't answer at first. She merely sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know," she replied, her voice indicating that she was more than a little worried, "He's got a chance. But honestly…it could go either way. And if anything happens to your Danny in the meantime…well, if I were you, I'd rather not think about it."

"So…what do we do now?" Tucker asked. The recent revelations had him wondering what kind of direction they could take in their planning.

"Head back to Amity Park," Future Sam answered, "That's where they'll be going."

"How do you know?" Valerie asked.

"It's to HIS advantage," Future Sam replied, referring of course, to Dark Danny, "He knows Danny won't fight him at full strength there. He'll be too afraid of people getting hurt."

As it turned out, Future Sam was all too correct in her prediction. Flying along a mountain road at top speed, Dark Danny was making a beeline for Amity Park with Future Danny close behind! He realized he was now forced to fight Dark Danny alone, which was not the ideal scenario they had planned for. After all, if he was just as fast, it wouldn't be hard to imagine that he was every bit as strong. But he didn't have time to worry about that. Attempting to slow Dark Danny down enough to catch up, Future Danny fired a barrage of Ghost Rays directly into his path! Luckily, the blockade had the desired effect as Dark Danny turned around and appeared ready to retaliate. But just then, another Ghost Ray came streaking down from behind Future Danny and struck Dark Danny full in the chest, sending him careening into the mountain side! And Future Danny already knew who had fired it as he turned around to see Danny just a few feet away, spoiling for a fight.

"I can't believe I was ever this stupid!" Future Danny shouted as he rolled his eyes, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Hey, give me a break!" Danny argued, "At this point, you need all the help you can get! Do you really think you can hang with him until YOUR Sam gets back on her feet?!"

"I KNOW you CAN'T!" Future Danny argued back, "Did you even think about what could happen to me if anything happens to you?!"

Future Danny then paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and collecting himself before he continued.

"Look, this fight was supposed to be a first round knockout, but that's not going to happen anymore. All our plans are out the window. People could get hurt now. You want to help? You make sure that doesn't happen!"

"Hmmm, did I hear someone mention that people might get hurt?" Dark Danny's voice caught the attention of the other two Dannys as he emerged from the hole in the mountainside. Just then, a school bus filled to capacity with laughing Grade School students made its way up the road, drawing a twisted grin across Dark Danny's face.

"WORKS FOR ME!!"

Dark Danny didn't hesitate for an instant to let fly with a barrage of ecto-energy orbs directly into the mountainside, creating an instant avalanche! Gasping in horror, Danny burst ahead, trying desperately to reach the bus and the screaming children inside! He stretched his arm out as far as he could as he flew forward at top speed, but his fingertips just barely grazed the back of the bus before the fall of rocks came down and buried them all! Future Danny could only look on in shock, but he soon had other things to worry about as Dark Danny came swooping up, tagging him across the face with a thunderous left! The force of the blow was enough to send Future Danny spiraling downward momentarily, but he soon found his bearings again and managed to stop himself in mid-air.

"Huh…you call that a punch?!" He called to Dark Danny before blasting back towards him at top speed! Dark Danny quickly unleashed a barrage of Ghost Rays in his direction! But Future Danny instantly phased out, allowing the rays to pass harmlessly through him as he reached Dark Danny, smashing him back with a right of his own and sending him flying!

"THAT'S a punch!!!"

As Future Danny flew back after Dark Danny, Danny had managed to emerge from the rubble by phasing out himself and the school bus together with just microseconds to spare. Pushing the bus out through the rocks and debris, he was more than happy to offer a wave to the cheering children before turning his attention to the bus driver.

"Whew! Thanks." the driver said, "That was WAY too close. But what WERE those things?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Danny replied, "Look, just get these kids off this road as fast as you can and stop at the nearest place you can find. But avoid Amity Park at all costs."

Danny paused as he looked up to the sky to see that Dark Danny had gotten away from Future Danny again and was headed back on his original course.

"It's not going to be a very welcoming place right now."

* * *

Tucker, Jazz and Valerie had arrived with Future Sam to Amity Park City Hall. Apparently, Future Danny had provided enough of a distraction to allow them to arrive well ahead of Dark Danny. Meanwhile, Tucker and Valerie stayed with the Specter Speeder as Future Sam and Jazz got off.

"Okay Tucker, you and Valerie are going to have to be damage control," Future Sam said, "Wherever they end up, you're going to have to be there to get people out. Call in the Blasters if you have to. They've got to be good for something."

"Yeah, but maybe if SOME-one hadn't wrecked all our equipment, we might have been able to do MORE than that," Valerie noted sarcastically.

"Forget it," Future Sam replied straightforwardly, "If the Blasters couldn't handle Vlad and you couldn't handle me, there's no way ANY of you would be able to handle THIS. Just keep an eye out and make sure no one gets hurt."

"So…what are you and Jazz going to do?" Tucker asked.

"Well, I'm going to try to get my head cleared up and HOPEFULLY, I'll be able to get back into this fight before too long," Future Sam replied, "As for Jazz, she's got something important to take care of."

With that, Tucker and Valerie left the Specter Speeder outside and rushed into City Hall to monitor the situation. Meanwhile, Jazz and Future Sam were left outside.

"Uh…Sam? What AM I supposed to be doing?" Jazz asked, confused.

"You?" Future Sam replied, "You've got to do ONE thing. Find Sam…YOUR Sam."

"'Our Sam'? But why?" Jazz wondered.

"Because…if I know her, and I'd like to think that I do…" Future Sam said as she stared out into the city with a stern gaze, "…she's about to do something REALLY stupid."

* * *

The lab in the basement of Fenton Works was deathly silent, save for the metal snipping of a pair of scissors. The black and white tatters of fabric on the floor told the rest of the story as Sam worked in the corner feverishly. She'd managed to find one of the ghost hunting suits that Danny's parents had made for him, one of the ones he had worn at the time he was changed into Danny Phantom. It was the only one that had the best chance of fitting her. Although at the same time, Sam had to admit feeling something of a guilty thrill to actually be wearing something of Danny's. Of course, she also felt the need to make a few alterations. She'd cut away the midriff section and pretty much the entire neckline so she could wear one of her neck collars. She left the middle finger on each glove alone, but cut away all the others. She kept the leggings of the suit's lower half, but cut away the boots, replacing them with a pair of her own. It was an older pair that she hardly ever wore anymore, so she didn't care too much what happened to them.

And then came the final accessory. Opening up a clothing store box, Sam pulled out a long white coat that had lace trimmings around the sleeves. Her mother had bought it for her a year or so ago in a misguided attempt to try and "meet her halfway" as her mother had put it. Of course, it had failed miserably. But at this point, Sam may have just found a use for it.

"I knew there was a reason I kept this thing in the back of the closet," she thought out loud before throwing it over her shoulders and slipping it on. One button fastened was all it took and she was good to go. There was only one thing left to do.

Pulling out a familiar photo, Sam had all the information she needed to set the Fentons' ghost portal to the proper settings. All she had to do was unplug it and then switch it off before plugging it back in. But after she plugged it in and walked back inside the deactivated portal to switch it back on…

"Sam?" Jazz's voice startled her as she whirled around to see her standing at the foot of the stairs, "What do you think you're doing?"

It took a moment for Sam's heart to slow back down, but she soon regained her resolve as she reached over to the Ghost Portal's power switch.

"Jazz, don't," she stated with a hint of pleading in her voice, "It's taking everything I have to not run away screaming right now. If you talk me out of this, I might never be able to work up the courage to try this again."

"Would that be so bad?" Jazz replied, "Sam, I know you've always had an impulsive side to you, but this is going too far."

"Jazz, you don't understand…!"

"Yes I do!" Jazz yelled back, cutting her off, "We know who those other two ghosts are. We know what Clockwork's done. We know all of it. But that isn't enough of a reason for what you're doing right now. The future isn't written in stone, Danny should have taught you that better than anyone. Have you thought about this? I mean, REALLY thought about it? Because if you haven't…"

"What ABOUT Danny?!" Sam shouted, whirling back around, "He puts his neck on the line all the time looking out for us! Who's looking out for him, huh?"

"You seem to have his back well enough without his powers," Jazz replied, "Why do you need them now? Sam, have you thought for one second what Danny would go through if you were out there with him and got hurt? What it would do to him?"

"Actually…yeah, I have," Sam said, shutting her eyes tight, "Because I know exactly what it would do to me if he went out there alone and got hurt. And I just…I can't go through that."

"Sam, this isn't even the same Portal design," Jazz argued again, "You don't even know if it'll work. Just think about this, will you? It's…"

"I know, okay?!" Sam shouted, "I know…it's selfish…and it's stupid…and I DON'T CARE!"

Sam whirled around, glaring at Jazz in defiance. But suddenly, her expression changed from one of rage to what almost appeared to be a look of…desperation.

"I need him Jazz."

Jazz could only sigh as she looked at her. She'd already made every argument she'd prepared, given such short notice. There was only one other thing she could think of to say.

"He needs YOU too."

That was maybe Sam's first real twinge of doubt. On a purely selfish level, having powers like Danny's was something she had been secretly dreaming of ever since she had first flown with him. But at the same time, she had meant everything she said. And ever since she and Danny had gotten together, she had been feeling it even more strongly. She wanted to be out there with him, having the power to watch his back and keep him from getting hurt. And after seeing her future self in the woods that day, it all seemed to give her the perfect excuse to act on what she wanted. But what if Jazz was right? What if it didn't work? Or if it did, what would happen if she got hurt trying to protect Danny? Would it be worth causing him that kind of pain just for what SHE wanted? Instinctively, Sam felt her hand pulling away from the switch. But just then, something happened that was really the last thing she expected…

…Jazz closed her eyes and turned around.

"Jazz?" Sam couldn't help feeling confused.

"Sam, just…" Jazz couldn't seem to figure out exactly what to say, since she couldn't figure out exactly what she was doing, "…now…before I change my mind."

Sam wasn't sure the best way to respond. Was this like reverse psychology? Some sort of test? Or had she actually gotten Jazz to see her side of the argument? Sam felt like a pair of weighing scales as she looked back and forth at both Jazz and the Ghost Portal switch, thinking of every reason to go through with her plan and every reason not to. Then suddenly, she looked back towards the Ghost Portal switch and before she gave herself the chance to argue against it again, she shut her eyes tight and whipped her fist out, hitting the switch as hard as she could!

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

If she lived to be 100, Jazz Fenton would never forget the sound of that chilling scream echoing in her ears. All she could do was whip around as the entire lab was filled with an eerie green light coming from the Ghost Portal! It would be a few moments longer before a figure finally emerged. Her entire body was smoldering with green smoke, but when she looked up, there was no doubt that it was Sam. But her hair was white, her eyes were green! The black and white colors of her clothes had reversed themselves! She had really become…just like Danny!

"Did…did it work?" Sam managed to utter, groggy from her ordeal as she struggled to stand. Jazz could only stand in shock for a few moments before slightly nodding her head.

"Uh…I THINK so."

"Heh…cool," Sam chuckled in a daze before her eyes rolled back and she crumpled to the floor of the lab in a heap. As Sam lay sprawled on the floor, all Jazz could do was look down at her and wonder what in the world she had just allowed to happen.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny Phantom: Facing the Future

Part 5

By Aaron

Working as fast as he could, Vlad feverishly put the finishing touches on his Ghost Portal, hooking it up to his portable generator. After learning about the existence of Clockwork from Future Sam, he had already begun formulating a plan of his own.

"There," he stated triumphantly, "This generator will only have enough power to keep my Ghost Portal open for five seconds, but it should be more than worth it."

Vlad grinned evilly as he programmed a set of coordinates into the Ghost Portal to open it where he wanted. Although through his sinister gaze, one might almost be able to detect a giddy glint in his eye, like a kid at Christmas.

"Good thing I had my computers get as much geographical information as I could out of the Infi-Map the last time I had it," he thought out loud, "This looks like it would be the most logical place to start looking."

"This just in," a radio news broadcast came up over a nearby radio, catching Vlad's attention, "We have just received word that two ghosts are engaged in battle in the sky on the outskirts of Amity Park. Early reports indicate that both combatants mysteriously bear a striking resemblance to the teen ghost hero known as Danny Phantom."

"Hmh! Knock yourselves out, you fools," Vlad smirked as he transformed into Vlad Plasmius and set his Ghost Portal to open, "By the "time" I'm through, nothing that either of you have done is going to matter."

With a laugh, Vlad flew into the Ghost Portal at top speed, passing through the barrier with just enough time to spare before the generator cut out and the Portal shut down.

* * *

"Uuunnnh…" Sam groaned wearily as her eyes slowly opened and began to focus again. She was still momentarily groggy as Jazz helped her to sit up.

"Don't blame yourself, Jazz" a familiar voice sounded behind her as she turned to see Future Sam leaning up against a lab table, her arms crossed, "I had a feeling you weren't going to talk her out of it. But it was worth a shot."

Suddenly, Sam remembered everything that had just happened and her eyes popped open wide!

"Whoa. Whoa! WHOA!!!" she exclaimed as she snapped to her feet, looking herself over before rushing to the nearest reflective surface to see her transformed face staring back at her, "YES! I mean, I knew this was gonna be cool, but this just feels WILD!"

"Well, I'm glad YOU'RE happy!" Future Sam sounded off behind her, instantly getting her attention, "Because of you, the whole timeline might be screwed up!"

"Excuse me?!" Sam argued, still feeling buzzed, "Considering that you're still here and you appear to still have all your limbs attached, I'd say things are working out fine!"

"HELLO!!!" Future Sam argued back, pulling a certain item out from under her shirt, "Time Medallion! Existing outside of time! You don't know how it went down with me! Did you ever stop to think that it might have happened differently?! Now thanks you, who knows what kind of a future we could be…?!"

But Future Sam's tirade was cut off as both she and Sam suddenly felt a chill creeping through them both. Having felt it for the first time, Sam found herself shivering as the cold breath passed her lips.

"Whoa," she shuddered, "I didn't know it was going to feel like THAT."

"Like what?" Jazz asked curiously, "What's going on?"

Sam didn't answer, causing Jazz to look over at Future Sam, who could only respond with a stern glare.

"They're here."

* * *

For the residents of Amity Park, there seemed nothing out of the ordinary to spoil their perfectly normal day. Most of them had yet to hear the warning that had come on over the radio. Unfortunately, they were about to receive a first hand announcement as a huge streak of light smashed into the street, sending pieces of asphalt flying in all directions! Acting on instinct, the now panicked citizens began running for their lives, searching desperately for any kind of shelter while at the same time, trying to see what could have possibly crashed into their town! But their questions would soon be answered as Dark Danny came flying out of the smoke that still blanketed the impact site, having been struck by a pair of enormous Ghost Rays! The force of the blast sent him barreling into a nearby lamppost, bending it over from the sheer impact.

"Unnnh," Dark Danny groaned as he slowly picked himself up, only to look up and see himself standing, of all places, just outside the parking lot of Nasty Burger, "Oh, this has GOT to be a sick joke!"

"Yeah," Future Danny's grim voice sounded as she slowly stepped from the smoke, his eyes and hands blazing with green ecto-energy, "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

The few witnesses who had stayed to watch could only grow more curious at what they were now seeing. How could there be TWO Danny Phantoms…and both of them older no less?! But their questions would have to go unanswered as Tucker and Valerie arrived in the Specter Speeder, opening the back ramp.

"Citizens of Amity Park!" Tucker announced over the speaker, "This is a standing order from your mayor! Man, it feels cool to say that…uh, anyway…This entire area is being evacuated and barricaded within a 10 block radius! Please enter the vehicle in an orderly fashion and we will transport you to safety!"

"Okay," Dark Danny sighed, rolling his eyes in annoyance, "I think I've had just about enough of the peanut gallery for today."

With that, Dark Danny raised his fist, preparing to unleash a devastating Ghost Ray to annihilate the Specter Speeder. But all he could do was let out a yell of pain as Future Danny blasted his fist with a Ghost Ray of his own!

"Sorry to upset your timetable," he stated, standing between Dark Danny and the fleeing citizens, "But you're not hurting anyone. Because right here…right now…is where I hold the line!"

"Alright…I am now officially beyond annoyed," Dark Danny hissed, clutching his smoldering hand and glaring in rage before an enormous surge of ecto-energy erupted from his body!

"YOU WANT A WAR!?!?!? I'LL GIVE YOU A WAR!!!!!!"

* * *

"Well, what are we standing around here for?" Sam shouted, heading for the stairs, "Let's go already!"

"Hold it!" Future Sam's words again got her attention as Sam turned around just in time to see her transform into her own ghost form, "And just what do you think YOU'RE going to accomplish?"

"What do you think?" Sam shot back, before turning back to the stairs, "Someone's got to go out there and help Danny."

"Oh, you think so, do you? You've had your powers for all of five minutes and now you're just going to rush off?" Future Sam noted with an amused smirk, "What, just because you've seen Danny do it a few dozen times, you think you know how it works? You're not ready to roll with THIS! Come on, in the shape you're in, even the Box Ghost could take you on right now!"

"NO WAY!!!" Sam shouted, whirling around with a glare of defiance. But it was only a moment that she realized the perspective of the room had changed. Why did she suddenly seem…smaller? Just then, she looked down and realized, much to her surprise, that her phasing powers had triggered and she was now waist deep into the floor! Looking back up to see Future Sam looking down at her with a stern gaze, all Sam seemed only able to respond with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh yeah, you're just a force to be reckoned with, aren't you?" Future Sam stated sarcastically before pulling her out of the floor and following up with a heavy sigh, "H'ooookay, there's only one thing to do now."

"What's that?" Jazz asked curiously.

"I'm gonna have to take her into the Ghost Zone and get her some training," Future Sam replied, "Brush her up on the basics, at least enough so that she can be HALF useful out there. There's no way we can let her run around like THIS!"

"Wait a minute," Jazz interjected, starting to worry about the consequences of Future Sam being away from the battle even longer, "I thought you said…"

"I KNOW what I said," Future Sam cut her off, looking at her with serious eyes that indicated she understood the situation all too well, "Look, just get back to Tucker and Valerie. Help them get everybody safe. And keep an eye on Danny…YOUR Danny. Make sure he stays out of trouble. And while you're at it, make sure ALL of you stay out of the way."

Future Sam then paused momentarily, turning back to Sam.

"Now as for you, since you're not down with flying yet and every second counts here…"

Future Sam paused in mid sentence as she raised her hand, which began to blaze with orange ecto-energy. Just then, a searing stream of fire burst from her hands, which quickly altered and shifted to take the form of a flaming motorcycle!

"…hop on."

"Whoa," Sam uttered in awe, her lips curling up into an impressed smile as she boarded the bike, "When do I learn how to do THIS?"

"Trust me," Future Sam winced slightly as her voice had a hint of apprehension, "When it happens, you'll know. Now hold on tight."

With that, the two Sams tore into the Ghost Zone, leaving only a fading trail of flame behind. Now alone in the lab, Jazz realized there was nothing left for her to do and headed straight for City Hall to see how she could help.

* * *

"So that's pretty much where we stand right now," Future Sam explained, "I know it's a bit much to swallow, but we could use some help. I know you guys have helped Danny here, so do you think you could give us a hand?"

"But of course!" Frostbite, leader of the Far Frozen replied enthusiastically, "We would gladly lay down our very lives to help one of the servants of our beloved Savior of the Ghost Zone!"

"Again with the 'servants' thing?" Sam rolled her eyes as she murmured through her teeth.

"Suck it uuuuup," Future Sam murmured back before turning her attention back to Frostbite, "Now, have you got a place where we can do this thing?"

"Most certainly!" Frostbite answered, "Right this way!"

Watching the two Sams walk off with Frostbite, Clockwork was paying close attention to all the players involved as the drama played out. Future Danny was continuing his battle with Dark Danny. He was doing fairly well, but it was now a question of whether or not fatigue would catch up with him. Meanwhile, Clockwork was also keeping an eye on Danny, who had wisely chosen to avoid the battle and help evacuate the closed off section of Amity Park with Tucker and Valerie. But a moment later, a new development arrived that he knew would require his direct involvement.

"I know who you are," he announced in his usual somber tone. He didn't even need to turn around to notice Vlad Plasmius standing in the shadows behind him.

"Ah," Vlad answered with his usual egotistical air as he stepped forward, "How nice to know that even in this remote section of the Ghost Zone, my reputation still precedes me."

"Don't flatter yourself. I know who EVERYONE is." Clockwork replied back, finally turning to face him, "I do know why you're here though. Do you really have any idea what you would even DO with my power?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I could think of something," Vlad replied confidently, "Being the undisputed ruler of all time has a nice ring to it. Along with the added bonus of being able to rewrite history any way I wish to make me ruler of both the Earth AND the Ghost Zone? I like the sound of THAT even more."

"Still refusing to look at the big picture. Of course, how CAN you when you can't even see past your own nose?" Clockwork noted, shaking his head, "Vortex…the Infi-Map…Pariah Dark. Time and again, you've tried to seize control of powers beyond your meager understanding and time and again, you've met with failure. And now you come into my domain with all the forethought of a teenager looking to steal a car for a joyride and brazenly declare that you will take MY power from ME? It would seem that Danny Fenton is quite correct when he calls you…what is that term again? A 'fruit loop'?"

Vlad only glared in anger at Clockwork's statement as he split himself into his four duplicate forms, ready to do battle! But Clockwork merely stayed where he was, maintaining his stern demeanor.

"You don't know anything. This castle is MY world. In here, I make the rules," he said, raising his Staff of Time, which began to glow. And just then, a bewildered Vlad found his duplication technique strangely reversed, making him one, just as he was a moment ago.

"In here…I make the threats."

"No!" Vlad shouted, throwing out his hands and unleashing two Ghost Rays with all the energy he could muster, "The power to rule is my destiny!"

Again, Clockwork looked on unconcerned, lifting his Staff of Time as the two Ghost Rays bore down on him! As the staff glowed once more, the Ghost Rays froze in mid air before suddenly reversing back in the direction they'd come! And a stunned Vlad could only gasp as he took the full brunt of his own attack, sending him flying through the wall of Clockwork's castle! But Clockwork would not end the punishment there. Raising his staff yet again, he repeated the last moment in time in a continuous loop, sending Vlad flying through the wall of his castle yet again…and again…and again…until finally, after Vlad went head first through the castle wall for a seventh time, Clockwork finally released him, sending Vlad skidding along the small patch of ground surrounding the base of his castle. Battered beyond measure, Vlad could only lay unconscious on the ground as his body transformed back into its human form.

"Hmph! Destiny?" Clockwork mocked grimly as he raised his staff once more, reversing the damage Vlad's impact had done to his castle wall as it repaired itself, "What would a single-minded fool like you POSSIBLY know of destiny?"

With that minor nuisance out of the way, Clockwork returned to his observing of the situation unfolding. While he was dealing with Vlad, Sam had apparently followed Future Sam and Frostbite through the realm of the Far Frozen to a coliseum-like structure near the center of their settlement.

"Welcome to your training ground!" Frostbite announced, "We all gathered here not long ago to instruct the Great One in the use of his freezing powers!"

"Hmmm, not exactly a capacity crowd THIS time, I'm noticing," Future Sam commented, looking around at the empty building.

"In truth, training the Great One in the use of his powers proved to be more…complicated…than anticipated," Frostbite noted with some apprehension.

"Well, don't count on this being much easier," Future Sam noted, looking over at her "student", "But we're going to have to accelerate this. So…let's get to work."

* * *

30 seconds…

"Okay, the first thing we've got to do is teach you the basics," Future Sam stated, "Until you get those down, you're not ready to start anything. So the first thing we're going to do is have you try flying. It's a good place to start learning how to concentrate your powers. Concentration is the first step to control."

"Gotcha!" Sam noted before running off down the field and leaping into the air. Unfortunately, she only made it about a foot or two before skidding along the ground and receiving a faceful of snow. Future Sam could only sigh and veer away in Frostbite's direction.

"Be honest," she whispered to him, "You saw that coming, didn't you?"

Frostbite merely replied with a shy nod.

* * *

45 minutes, 53 seconds…

"Okay the next thing we're going to do is have you phase through objects," Future Sam stated, "Flying was a good way to teach you concentration, and you're going to need even more of that here, so whatever you do, don't just go running into…"

Unfortunately, her words were cut off as Sam burst forward, flying straight into a large boulder! Future Sam could only sigh as she turned her back to the scene.

"I can't watch," she whispered to Frostbite, "Tell me when it's over."

However, despite Future Sam's lack of confidence, Sam kept right on moving and with a heavy amount of concentration passed right through the boulder as if it was nothing!

"Alright!" Sam called out triumphantly, "I did it! I…AAH!"

True enough, Sam had indeed phased through the first boulder, but she was so impressed with that accomplishment that she had failed to notice the second boulder right behind it! Future Sam meanwhile, could only stay turned away and sighed as Frostbite winced in response.

"Ooo!" he hissed through gritted teeth, "I DO wish I had not seen THAT."

* * *

1 hour, 52 minutes, 23 seconds…

"Okay, now here's where things are going to get a little tricky," Future Sam said, "There's one important thing to note. You have ghost powers that are LIKE Danny's…but they're not ALL the same. There are some differences."

"'Differences'?" Sam replied with a raised eyebrow, "What kind of 'differences'?"

"You'll see," Future Sam replied, motioning to a set of targets just a few feet away, "Try firing a Ghost Ray and see what happens."

Sam only shrugged, unsure of what to expect. But it wasn't going to stop her from trying. Concentrating hard, her hand began to glow with green ecto-energy, just like Danny's. So far so good, even when she finally fired a Ghost Ray from her fingers. But she was about to receive a surprise as the Ghost Ray only reached within inches of one of the targets before it suddenly stopped and dropped to the ground, limp as a wet noodle!

"Uuuhhh, okay," Sam noted, scratching her head with her free hand, "Well…this is awkward."

"Try snapping your wrist," Future Sam instructed.

Still unsure, Sam did as she was instructed. And sure enough, as she flicked her wrist, the Ghost Ray sprang to life, snapping like a whip!

"Whoa…" she breathed.

"See what I'm talking about?" Future Sam replied, "But that's just the start. If you focus enough, you can actually alter the energy and use it in different ways…"

Just then, Future Sam sprung into action, flying at top speed towards a pair of small boulders! Her first attack came in the form of whipping out a Ghost Ray strand that left a deep gash in one of the rocks! Suddenly, the strand shrunk down and became rigid like a blade as she burst forward and pierced the boulder right through the center! But then, the energy changed again, looking like sets of claws as her hands tore into the boulder, slicing it into shards of rock with a single slash! Not hesitating for an instant, her right hand whipped out, snapping a set of Ghost Ray strands around the second boulder, wrapping it tightly! Then, pulling hard, she was able to increase her speed as she flew forward, her free hand bursting with ecto-energy as she sent her fist straight at the boulder, smashing the top to bits!

"…like so." she said simply.

"Okay," Sam could only look on in amazement, "That…was unbelievably cool."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Future Sam instructed, "Just work on the strands for now and build up from there."

Sam couldn't wait to get started as she fired two Ghost Ray strands from her hands and began to work on controlling them. Future Sam, meanwhile, walked over to Frostbite, who watched the display with keen interest.

"An interesting variation," he noted, "Although it does greatly limit her range. We'll have to make up for that weakness by improving her speed."

"I know," Future Sam replied, "Hopefully, we'll have a chance to do that."

"Uh, guys?" Sam's voice suddenly got their attention as they both looked over to see her wrapped up in her own Ghost Ray strands! Tightly tangled, Sam was completely bewildered, looking almost like a glowing green mummy before she lost her balance and toppled over.

"Little help?"

Frostbite immediately went to Sam's aid. Future Sam, meanwhile, could only turn away and sigh heavily.

"Uunhh, I KNOW she's trying her best," she thought out loud as Frostbite struggled to free Sam, "But I don't know how much longer we can stay here. Danny needs me. For all I know, he's already…No, I can't think like that!"

Future Sam could only shake her head and try not to think of the worst case scenario as she looked up into the sky. But her expression was mixed with hope and worry.

"Just a little longer, Danny," she whispered, "I'll be there soon. Just…hang on."

* * *

4 hours, 0 minutes, 17 seconds…

At least 10 to 15 blocks were lying in ruin as the fight between Future Danny and Dark Danny continued. Future Danny had been doing a fair job of holding Dark Danny off for as long as he had. But as he stumbled out of the smoke from their last exchange, he was clearly beginning to show signs of fatigue. Just then, a Ghost Ray pierced through the smoke and struck Future Danny in the back, sending him rolling along the street!

"Hmmm, not quite as confident anymore, are we?" Future Danny stated as he strode from the smoke, battered and bruised himself, but apparently getting a second wind, "Awww, could it be you're actually holding back just because you're afraid of people getting hurt…?"

Pausing briefly, Dark Danny grinned evilly as he stood over Future Danny, grabbing the hood of his jacket and lifting him up.

"…or maybe you're just not so tough without your girlfriend after all."

"Oh, I don't know," Future Danny panted, throwing in a slight chuckle that drew a curious look from Dark Danny, "I might still sur-PRISE you!!!"

Dark Danny had no way to defend as Future Danny's blazing fist smashed him with an ecto-powered uppercut that sent him straight up, high over the skies of Amity Park! He never even had time to straighten himself out as Future Danny flew above him, blasting him back down with a pair of Ghost Rays, bigger than any he'd fired yet! Still unable to mount a defense, Dark Danny was helpless as he streaked to Earth like a green comet, smashing an enormous crater into the street below! But it was a momentary helplessness as Dark Danny suddenly erupted from the crater with an explosion of ecto-energy!

"Unnn…he's dead," he groaned, staggering to his feet, "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM, HE'S…uh oh."

Dark Danny had no time to finish his thought as Future Danny came tearing down from the sky feet first, smashing him through the street into the sewers below! The only sound that came after is Dark Danny screaming in agony as a column of green ecto-energy burst into the sky from the hole in the street! Meanwhile, Danny was helping Tucker and Valerie, who had retrieved her armor from Jazz, search the closed off area for any straggling citizens.

"This is crazy!" Valerie complained over the radio as Tucker rocketed the Specter Speeder through the streets, "All we're doing is cleanup! We should be out there doing something about this!"

"Look, I don't like it either!" Danny replied through the radio, searching another area, "But if it's all we can do, then it's all we can do! You and I both know we wouldn't last five minutes with those two going at it!"

"Of course not!" Valerie argued, "How could we have a chance when we can't fight?! We've got no weapons!"

"Hmmm," Tucker had been silent for a while, lost in thought, "Wait a minute…THAT'S IT!"

"What's it?" Valerie asked.

"Maybe we DO have a weapon!" Tucker answered enthusiastically, "Danny, keep things going here! Valerie and I will be right back!"

With that, Tucker turned the Specter Speeder around and headed back into the city with Valerie, leaving Danny alone with his confusion.

* * *

4 hours, 5 minutes, 58 seconds…

"So," Future Sam stated, "Think you're a little better off now?"

In her human form, Sam didn't answer at first, standing in the middle of the coliseum that was riddled with small craters, rock shards and smashed targets. But after closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she flashed a confident smile as she transformed and sprang into action! Spiraling around, her hand flashed forward, releasing a Ghost Ray strand that easily sliced through one of the few standing targets! Shrinking it into a blade, she burst forward, slashing through another standing target! Then she whipped around, wrapping a third target in a set of Ghost Ray strands and yanking it towards her before encasing her fist in a cocoon of ecto-energy and smashing the target to splinters! Then, just to prove that she could do it, she looked over at Future Sam and Frostbite, turned invisible and flew right at them, phasing through their bodies before appearing behind them!

"What you YOU think?" she asked, crossing her arms confidently.

"Splendid!" Frostbite noted, "A most notable improvement in such a relatively short amount of time!"

"Yeah…but don't get cocky," Future Sam added with a smirk, "You won't be giving Pariah Dark any sleepless nights. But at least now you've got a chance of going out there and not getting killed. So…wanna get out of here?"

"You know it!" am answered enthusiastically, before turning to Frostbite, "Hey, thanks for everything. It really helped."

"Not at all! It was our pleasure!" Frostbite replied, "Now go forth and help the Great One on his path to victory!"

"Believe me, that's pretty much the plan," Future Sam replied as she and Sam took off, waving goodbye before returning to the situation at hand, "Okay, we've got to move! At this point, both our Dannys are going to need all the help they can get!"

Meanwhile, Vlad had managed to regain some of his strength as he weakly floated through the Ghost Zone. But he had still hardly recovered from the horrible beating he had suffered at the hands of Clockwork. And being stuck in an area of the Ghost Zone that was relatively unknown to him, he was unsure of which way to go to find a way back to Earth.

"Blast!" he muttered to himself as he winced in pain, "So close to absolute power and yet so far! And now I can't even get back through my Ghost Portal! Now what do I…huh?"

Just out of the corner of his eye, Vlad managed to catch a glimpse of both Sam and Future Sam flying through the Ghost Zone at top speed!

"Is that the Manson girl? Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I see she decided not to waste any time getting in on the act," he said to himself. Of course, it took him only a moment to realize that they must be headed for the Fentons' Ghost Portal!

"Hmmm, maybe I DO have a way out after all," he said as he picked up speed, following them both to potential freedom.

"So…have you thought about what Danny's going to say when he sees you like this?" Future Sam noted, "After all, it's not like you're going to be able to keep this from him."

"I…guess I'll just have to burn that bridge when I come to it," Sam replied, realizing only at that moment that she hadn't really considered how she was going to let him know, but choosing to ignore it in light of more pressing matters, "Let's just move it, okay?"

With that, Sam picked up the pace and started to fly even faster towards the portal. Realizing that she was perhaps trying to outrun the issue, Future Sam could only give an amused smirk as she also picked up speed and continued moving.

"He's not gonna liiike iiiit," Future Sam noted, rolling her eyes mockingly and shrugging her shoulders as Sam scowled back at her, "I'm just saying."

It would only be a few minutes later that they reached the portal and neither Sam nor Future Sam gave a moment's pause as they flew through to the other side and phased through the lab, heading straight into the battle! Vlad meanwhile, was much more cautious as he poked his invisible head through the portal to make sure no one was around before coming all the way through. At least he was out of the Ghost Zone. Still, he had no earthly idea what to do next. All of his planning had hinged on acquiring Clockwork's powers of time control. Without that, all his other intentions simply faded into nothing.

Just then, he noticed the pair of gloves that Maddie had warned Danny about earlier. And with only his failure to occupy his mind, he chose to drown his disappointment with curiosity. Of course, Vlad had no way of knowing what the gloves did, so as he reached out for them, he suddenly found himself jolted across the lab into the far wall!

"Oh, great! That was ALL I needed!" he yelled as he snapped to his feet, ready to blast the gloves into oblivion with a Ghost Ray! But as he realized what the gloves did, he suddenly felt very thoughtful.

"Hmmm," he said to himself, a wicked grin crossing his lips, "You know, with a few slight adjustments…Oooohohohohooo, Jack Fenton, you may be a fat oaf, but sometimes, you make me just the coolest toys!"

His enthusiasm getting the better of him, Vlad instinctively reached for the gloves again only to yell in pain as he suddenly found himself shocked across the lab yet again!

"Assuming of course, that I can actually PLAY WITH THEM!!!"

* * *

Back inside the closed off area, Both Dark Danny and Future Danny seemed to be on their last legs. In fact, they both seemed completely exhausted as all they could do was glare at each other! Whatever happened, it seemed that the first person to land the next blow would be the victor in this contest.

It also seemed that Dark Danny was the faster of the two! Using everything he had left, he forced out his hands and prepared to unleash a devastating Ghost Ray at Future Danny, who still seemed unable to defend himself! But before he could fire, a white flash passed between them and Dark Danny felt a powerful blow connect with the side of his face! Back and forth, it flashed past him, striking Dark Danny repeatedly until he finally fell to his knees! Now beaten to exhaustion, he could barely lift his head to see Future Sam standing between him and Future Danny, back to full strength and ready to go!

"Sorry, pal," she announced, "But here comes a new challenger!"

"It took you long enough," Future Danny groaned, now as annoyed as he was tired.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Future Sam argued, "Tell you what, next time I'LL fight the bad guy and YOU can recover from the concussion! Besides, there was something else I needed to deal with too."

"Great! Now what?!" Dark Danny muttered to himself, "I was barely holding my own against just HIM! Now SHE'S back in the picture too! There's no way I can fight them BOTH!"

"Oh, if I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about that," Future Sam replied, snapping her fingers as a signal to Future Danny, who slowly reached behind him and pulled a small disk from his coat. With the press of a button, the disk expanded into a cylindrical object that he immediately handed off to Future Sam.

"You're not going to be around that long."

Looking at the object in her hands, Dark Danny's eyes could only go wide in shock and frustration! He already knew what it was! A few of the designs may have changed, but there was no doubt that it definitely looked like a…Fenton Thermos!

"New and improved," Future Sam continued with a smirk, "I don't think you'll be getting out of this one anytime soon."

Dark Danny could only growl in anger at his helpless state! There was no way he had the strength left to avoid his fate! But just as Future Sam was about to activate the Thermos, Tucker and Valerie arrived in the Specter Speeder!

"You've got to be kidding!" Future Sam yelled, "What are you two doing here?!"

"We thought you might need this!" Tucker called as he ran out with Valerie, holding a familiar looking cube, "I thought we could use it to keep him locked up like you did with us!"

Unfortunately, Dark Danny heard Tucker's words and immediately became thoughtful.

"Well, as you can see, we really DON'T need that!" Future Sam argued, "So get out of here NOW! You two have more important things to worry about!"

"Well, SOR-RY!" Tucker shot back, "We were just trying to help!"

"No kidding…" Dark Danny smirked as he turned invisible, phasing through the street! Future Sam tried to activate the Thermos to capture him, but she was a split second too slow! Looking around desperately, no one could see where Dark Danny had vanished to until he suddenly appeared behind Tucker and Valerie, snatching the cube from Tucker's hand and blasting both of them with a Ghost Ray, knocking them both unconscious! Before Future Sam could react, Dark Danny activated the cube, trapping her and Future Danny in the same Ghost Shield that they had trapped Danny and the others in earlier!

"…thanks for the help."

Dark Danny smiled, then chuckled and finally, howled to the sky with wicked laughter! And with no way out, Future Sam and Future Danny could only look on in helpless desperation.


	6. Chapter 6

Danny Phantom: Facing the Future

Part 6

By Aaron

Unaware of what was happening just a few short blocks away, Danny continued his search for anyone else who might still be left inside the barricaded area. After four hours, it was pretty safe to assume that everyone had been successfully evacuated. Still, it was best to be absolutely certain.

"Tucker? Valerie?" He spoke into his headset as he searched a damaged building for anyone who might be hurt, "Come on, where are you guys? Jazz, have you heard from them?"

"Nothing in the last 10 minutes," Jazz replied as she sat at one of the work stations in the bunker under City Hall. In the time Danny was helping Tucker and Valerie evacuate the area, she'd managed to get one of the computers back up and running.

"Well, do you know where the Specter Speeder is?" Danny asked, "Chances are that's where they are too."

"Give me a second," Jazz said as she tried to see if the computer could find the Specter Speeder's location, "Hmmm, looks like it's only about five blocks from where you are now."

"Well, if they're so close, why aren't they responding?" Danny felt himself growing worried, "And why is it so quiet all of a sudden? I don't like this Jazz. Hey, is Sam there? I just want to tell her to stay with you. I've just got a bad feeling."

"Uh…sorry Danny," Jazz stammered slightly, caught off guard by his question, "You, uh…just missed her. She walked out of the room for just a minute, yeah. She…said she'd be right back,"

"You know…you've actually been saying that every time I've asked," Danny noted, starting to get suspicious now that he actually had a moment to stop and think, "What aren't you telling me, Jazz?"

"What? Danny, don't be silly," Jazz's voice started to tremble as she giggled nervously, "I'm not hiding anything. That's crazy. You're talking crazy. I…"

"JAZZ!!! Where's Sam?!"

"Danny…" Jazz paused with a heavy sigh, realizing the jig was pretty much up, "I…I didn't want to be the one to have to tell you this…Sam…"

"Sam what?!" Danny shouted, starting to panic, "What happened?! Is she hurt?!"

"No, no…she's fine," Jazz answered quickly, unsure of the best response to quell Danny's fears, "At…least I…think she is."

"Jazz…listen very carefully…we are talking about Samantha Manson…my girlfriend…who means more to me than anything else in the world!" Danny's voice turned threatening, "Now answer the question! WHAT-HAPPENED-TO-HER!?"

But Danny wouldn't get a chance to hear an answer. Just then, a section of the wall from a damaged building gave way and began to crumble on top of him! Between his worry about Sam and the surprise of the bricks raining down on him, Danny had temporarily forgotten that he could easily phase through them and could only stand frozen as he was about to be crushed!

Just then, a strand of Ghost Ray energy came out of nowhere, whipping around his waist and yanking him out of the way of the falling wall! After being sent skidding along the street, Danny needed a moment to shake the cobwebs out of his head before he turned around and realized he had ended up at the feet of a white pair boots that at the same time, seemed oddly familiar. Up until that moment, he didn't think anything could possibly surprise him anymore. But as he looked up, curious to see who was standing behind him, his eyes widened in what had to be the shock of his life!

"SAM!?!?!"

"New and improved!" Sam announced, standing triumphantly as her hands and eyes glowed with enthusiasm. Danny immediately snapped to his feet, still unable to shake his stunned reaction.

"But…how…? When…? What…what did you…?"

"Uh…can you hold that thought?" Sam cut off his words by pressing a finger to his lips and smiling affectionately before leaning in with a soft peck, "Thanks."

Danny was still too disoriented to reply as Sam burst past him. The rest of the wall she had just pulled him from was starting to give way and threatening to fall on a set of power lines! Sam had noticed a fuel tanker nearby that had been abandoned during the evacuation and if the power lines were severed, there would definitely be a risk of igniting it! Flying towards the wall, Sam's right hand burst with ecto-energy as she unleashed a long Ghost Ray blade, slashing straight up and actually slicing the wall in half, much to Danny's amazement! The two halves of the wall were still coming down, but Sam wasn't done yet! Focusing hard, she converted her ecto-energy into claws around her hands as she flew up along the collapsing wall! Spiraling as she went, her Ghost Ray claws began ripping apart the larger halves into smaller chunks of brick! Then, to prevent them from raining down onto the street, she whipped around, unleashing a series of Ghost Ray strands that lashed around the pieces of the broken wall like a net! And pulling as hard as she could, she was able to flip the chunks of brick over her shoulder to land harmlessly into the alley next to the building! Satisfied with a job well done, Sam then landed back down to the ground, a stray Ghost Ray Strand whipping at the street before she turned to flash Danny a confident grin. Danny, meanwhile, could only stand where he was, his lower jaw hanging open.

"Okay," he noted, still in the grip of shock, "Setting aside my disbelief for the moment…that…was the hottest thing…I have ever seen."

"Danny? Come in, Danny," Jazz called through the radio, "Is Sam there?"

"Uh, yes!" Danny answered, beginning to sound annoyed, "And we're going to talk about how much YOU knew about this LATER!"

"Oh boy," Jazz sighed off radio. Unfortunately, what they didn't know was that someone else had been listening in on the entire conversation. Having plucked Tucker's headset from his unconscious form, Dark Danny, starting to catch his breath, now knew exactly where to find Danny and Sam.

"Well, that was helpful," he said with a smirk before looking back down at Tucker and Valerie, "Well, I'll deal with you two later. But as for you…"

He turned his attention to Future Danny and Future Sam, who were still trapped in their own portable Ghost Shield. And the expression on his face turned to a most acid grin.

"…see you…never."

With that, Dark Danny took off into the sky, leaving Future Danny and Future Sam trapped, unable to come to the aid of their "past" selves.

"Oh great," Future Danny exclaimed as he and Future Sam tried in vain to break out, "Tucker…Valerie! Come on, SOMEBODY! You've got to get us out of this!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in his makeshift lab, Vlad was working feverishly on the mechanical gloves he'd stolen from Fenton Works. It had taken him a little time, but he had managed to deactivate the gloves and rush them back to his lab where a new plan had begun to emerge. But wanting to keep updated, he'd sent a new spy camera into Amity Park to assess the situation. And he wasn't happy to see Future Danny and Future Sam sealed up with Dark Danny escaping.

"Oh perfect!" he muttered as he frantically began continued the gloves, "I've got to hurry! If this is going to work, I don't have much time left!"

Reasonably confident that he had adjusted the gloves the way he wanted them, Vlad was quick to put them on and activate them, only to have a continuous shock sent through his entire body!

"AAAAGGHH…! WRONG…WIRES!!!"

* * *

Meanwhile, unaware of Vlad's intentions, Dark Danny was heading off as fast as he could to find Danny and Sam. And he was only too quick to find them still where they were when Jazz had talked to Danny. And Danny definitely wasn't in a good mood.

"I can't believe you did something so incredibly moronic!" Danny yelled, "What in the world could have POSSIBLY been going through your head?!"

"Danny, calm down," Sam tried to get a word in, "I know how this looks, but if you just think about it…"

"'Think'?! Oh, that's really rich, coming from you right now!" Danny hollered back, cutting her off, "Did you seriously think about this?! Did you think that maybe I might have had something to say about it?!"

"Oh gee, I wasn't aware that all ghost-related matters had to be cleared through 'the great Danny Phantom' first!" Sam argued back, becoming annoyed, "This was MY call to make, not YOURS! I made this decision because I HAD to! Get over yourself, already!"

"Sam, you make it sound like this was what you were destined for! So what, just because you saw someone who MIGHT be you in the future, you just throw caution to the wind and decide to…?!"

"Danny, it wasn't just because of her!" Sam shouted, cutting him off, "This was a long time coming for me! But…seeing her made me realize all the reasons I SHOULD have done this a lot sooner!"

Danny couldn't think of a way to respond. He could only look at her confused.

"Danny, you are out there, fighting ghosts every day. And yes, we've been out there with you and yes, most of the time, we've been able to help," Sam continued, her emotions starting to get the better of her, "But how many times have there been when you've been out there and we HAVEN'T been able to watch your back? Do you KNOW how helpless I felt, knowing you were out there alone…knowing what it would do to me…if you ever got hurt…or worse…?"

Just the sight of Sam looking away from him, clutching her heart, was enough to drain all the anger Danny was feeling. Sighing heavily, he could only walk over to her and softly put his hands on her shoulders, causing her to slowly look back up at him.

"Sam, whenever I was out there alone, sometimes the only consolation I had was knowing that the people I cared about WERE somewhere else…that they were someplace safe," he said gently, his voice still showing concern, "Okay, I'll say it, MAYBE once in a while, I thought it might be cool if you had…But…until I saw you…her today, I never actually thought…Sam, I just…didn't want this for you. Even when we were out there together, I was always afraid that you or someone else might get hurt. And now…with this…"

"Danny," Sam replied softly, seeing the emotion in his eyes, "I get it. I really do. But…you've tried to protect all of us for so long…"

Pausing briefly, Sam took Danny's hands and gently folded her hands over them, looking into his eyes with all sincerity she could muster.

"…I just…want to protect you too."

"Sam…" Danny had lost all words as he and Sam both pulled a hand away, each running it softly down the other's cheek. But right at that moment...

"Awww, isn't that sweet?" a familiar voice sounded off beside them as they whirled around to see Dark Danny with a mock look of sadness, following up with a sinister grin, "I tell you, it would make me want to break out the hankies…if I wasn't paralyzed from not caring very much."

"Where are…What did you do with them?!" Sam asked angrily, clearly referring to Future Danny and Future Sam.

"Oh, them? Well, let's just say they won't be interrupting us anytime soon," Dark Danny replied wickedly.

"Oh, come on!" Danny chimed in, "You expect us to believe that YOU took THEM out?"

"Not yet…but I will soon enough," Dark Danny fired back, looking at both Danny and Sam with bad intentions as he showed them the cube for the portable Ghost Shield, "And thanks to this little beauty, don't expect anyone to be coming to your rescue NOW."

"Yeah right, as if we'd need it!" Danny replied with a smirk, "I mean have you looked in a mirror lately? You're a mess! At this point, I'd be surprised if you could even stand up in a stiff wind!"

Dark Danny scowled in response as he phased the Ghost Shield cube into his chest. A moment later, his hands flashed with ecto-energy!

"You could always try to find out," he replied. All humor had gone out of his voice now. Clearly, at that moment, he was all business.

But Danny was all business too as he threw out his hands and fired a pair of Ghost Rays that struck Dark Danny hard in the chest, sending him flying into a nearby pile of rubble! At that moment, it looked as though Danny had the clear advantage. But Danny knew he hadn't put everything he had into that attack. It was actually a test more than anything. Maybe Dark Danny really had been weakened that severely from his fight with Future Danny and Future Sam. But still…the way he had been talking so confidently just a moment ago…something didn't feel right.

"He won't let that stop him," Danny muttered to himself, instantly going on the defensive. But just then, Sam flashed past the corner of his eye, her hands pulsing with ecto-energy as she made a beeline straight to where she had seen Dark Danny go flying!

"Sam, wait!" Danny cried out after her, "It's a trap!! He's setting us up!!!"

But Sam had no way to halt her advance. And as she reached her target, Dark Danny's hand burst from the debris, grabbing her wrist hard! Sam winced in pain from the crushing grip, losing her concentration as the ecto-energy faded from her trapped hand! Luckily, she was able to maintain enough concentration to keep her free hand active as she formed a Ghost Ray blade, stabbing straight at Dark Danny! But she quickly received a second surprise as Dark Danny's free hand snapped up and grabbed the blade, holding it fast! And no matter how hard Sam tried, she just couldn't free herself!

"Hmph! Rookie," Dark Danny smirked before a burst of ecto-energy erupted from his body, sending Sam sprawling down the street, "Maybe you haven't noticed, but you're in the Big Leagues now!"

Momentarily dazed, Sam managed to pick herself up to get back into the fight. And not a moment to soon, for just as she stood up, Dark Danny unleashed another attack, sending a searing Ghost Ray in her direction! Sam still didn't know how to convert her ecto-energy into force fields, but thinking quickly, she decided on the next best thing. Clapping her hands together, she concentrated all the ecto-energy she could spare into a Ghost Ray blade and stood firm. And sure enough, as the Ghost Ray struck her blade, it was effortlessly sliced in two, passing right around her!

"'Rookie', huh?!" she called back tauntingly. At first, Danny was surprised and impressed, until he saw the smirk on Dark Danny's face. That's when he whirled around and noticed the abandoned fuel tanker, still parked just a few short yards away and directly in the path of Dark Danny's Ghost Ray!

"SAAAM!!!" Danny flew towards her at top speed, throwing an ecto-energy force field around them just as the tanker exploded! But the shield he had made was fast and crude and the force of the blast was strong enough to breach it! Sprawling along the street, Danny suddenly found himself trapped in a sphere of ecto-energy before he could get to his feet! Jumping up, he looked over to see Sam unconscious on the ground, knocked out of her ghost form! And if that wasn't bad enough, Dark Danny was standing directly over her!

"Always eliminate the weak link first," he stated calmly, looking up to smirk at Danny, "To be honest, YOU were the only one I actually thought had a chance of beating me in the condition I'm in. Well…guess I don't have to worry about that NOW, huh? The energy of that sphere is so dense, not even MY Ghostly Wail can breach it. I don't think yours stands much of a chance."

But then, he turned his attention back down to Sam, who was still unconscious. And with an evil scowl, he pointed his hand down at her as it began to blaze with ecto-energy.

"Still…first thing's first."

"NO!" Danny shouted, momentarily getting Dark Danny's attention, "Look, I know you lost everything already! You already lost HER! But you know how much she means to me! Don't pretend you don't because I know better! Just…don't do this. You…CAN'T…do this."

Dark Danny looked at him for a long moment, the expression on his face unchanged. But then suddenly, as if Danny had just made a bad joke, Dark Danny let out a hollow chuckle and simply frowned at him in disgust!

"Oh, grow up."

As Dark Danny turned his attention back to Sam and the horrible act he had coursing through his twisted brain, Danny felt like time was stopping! He felt like everything was frozen! He couldn't believe what he was about to happen right in front of his eyes! And he was completely helpless to prevent it!

And yet, at that moment, he could feel something else. Something burning inside him…urging him on! He couldn't let himself be trapped! He couldn't allow what was about to happen…

He had to do something...

He Had To Protect Her…!

HE HAD TO!!!

"Well…one down," Danny smirked as he prepared to incinerate Sam with his Ghost Ray! But a split second before he could, an enormous explosion ripped through the air, causing him to stumble! He still managed to find his footing and whirled around, but before he could see exactly where the explosion had come from, a powerful pressure collided with the side of his face! A blow with such force, it nearly took his head clean off as it sent him skidding face first along the street! Struggling to pull himself up, Dark Danny whipped back around and his eyes widened in shock at the figure standing before him! His head was lowered and his face couldn't be seen, but there was no doubt that it was Danny standing in front of a still-unconscious Sam!

"Impossible!" he shouted in rage, "Even weakened, that sphere should have been MORE than enough to hold you! How did you get out?!"

"I told you," Danny said silently, "You…can't…do this."

Just then, he whipped his head upward, glaring at Dark Danny, whose eyes only widened even more. Danny's eyes were glowing green, brighter than they ever had before! His fists were clenched so tightly it looked like his fingers were going to dig into his palms! His face was twisted in rage and the white aura around him had turned green! But beyond all that, the most bizarre change was his hair! His hair had changed into white flames! It looked like the exact same hair as Dark Danny!

"I…won't…LET YOU!!!"

* * *

"…cker…alerie…ou hear m…? Tucker?! Valerie?!"

Valerie groaned as she slowly opened her eyes to Jazz's voice ringing in her ears. Battered and bruised, her whole body ached as she struggled to get up. For a moment, she couldn't remember exactly what had happened to her. Just then, the image of Dark Danny's face looking over her shoulder flashed into her mind and her eyes snapped open with a start!

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, looking around to see Tucker still unconscious and Future Danny and Future Sam still trapped just a few feet away, "Tucker, wake up! We've got trouble…big time!"

"Uunnh…" Tucker opened his eyes as Valerie started shaking him. Still in a daze, his memory remained hazy as he looked over to see Future Danny and Future Sam staring through the Ghost Shield with annoyed looks.

"Hey…what are you guys doing in there?"

"Oh, you know how it is. You blow into town at the last minute, you can never find a good hotel, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE DOING IN HERE, YOU MORON?!?!" Future Sam replied angrily!

Just then, Tucker's memory came back and he finally realized what he had just allowed to happen. And both he and Valerie could only blame themselves as they looked away shamefully.

"Sorry."

"Okay, okay, you can guilt them later," Future Danny interrupted, "Right now, we need you two to get that Ghost Shield. We've got to get back in this thing!"

But before anyone could respond, the air suddenly was filled with an eerie green glow. Whirling around, Tucker and Valerie could only look in shock as an enormous geyser of ecto-energy tore into the sky, just a few short blocks away. But as he looked up at the awesome spectacle, Future Danny's eyes suddenly widened in dread.

"Oh no," he voiced under his breath before turning back to Tucker and Valerie, "You two, go! Get to Danny! He needs you NOW!"

"Wait a minute," Tucker replied, trying to understand what was happening, "Just what is going…?"

"GO!!!"

Future Danny's eyes flashing in rage was all the encouragement Tucker and Valerie needed as they raced for the Specter Speeder and took off to find Danny. Now alone, All Future Danny could do was look into the sky with Future Sam and worry about what was happening at that moment.

"This…is really bad."

* * *

"Jazz? We're back in the saddle," Tucker announced over the radio, "But we've got to track down Danny fast. Do you know where he is?"

"I'll send you his last known position," Jazz replied, clicking away on the computer, "Hurry guys. I tried to contact him a few minutes ago and he's not responding. I don't like this!"

But Jazz soon had something else to worry about as an explosion smashed through the wall behind her! Whirling around, she could only try to hide behind the work station as she had no idea what could be lurking behind the plumes of smoke! But she would soon receive another surprise as a familiar pair stepped into the room!

"You see, Maddie?! I told you there was a secret base down here!" Jack Fenton announced triumphantly, sniffing the air as he looked around, "Ahhh, I can always detect that 'new equipment' smell! Hmmm, could use a little cleaning though."

"Mom?! Dad?!" Jazz blurted out, running over to them, "What are you doing here? And where did you get those weapons?"

"Well, once I got your father out of the hospital, we went back home and got some of heavier artillery back up to specs," Maddie replied, patting the bazooka mounted on her shoulder, "So…sounds like you guys have been having a little party while we've been gone."

"Yeah, not exactly anything we want to invite the neighbors to," Jazz replied, reaching out to put her hands on their shoulders, "But man, am I glad to see you guys. Right now, we need all the help we can get."

"Jazz, are you there?!" Tucker's voice sounded over the speakers, "We've found Danny, we're closing in on his position now and…whoa…"

"What is going on here…?" Valerie blurted out under her breath.

"What? What?! What is it?!" Jazz shouted, running back to the computer.

"I'm not sure," Valerie's voice sounded shocked as she activated her armor, "Maybe you'd better see this for yourself. I'm streaming you a feed."

Jazz, Jack and Maddie watched closely as the video feed kicked in on the computer from Valerie's visor. The image was choppy at first, but suddenly, the image closed in on the sight of Dark Danny scowling in rage, his body smoldering.

"Wait a minute. Who is that?" Maddie asked immediately, "He looks…like Danny!"

"It's a REALLY long story," Jazz replied, "Trust me, we'll tell you all about it later."

"That's not it!" Valerie called over the radio as she and Tucker ran out of the Specter Speeder and the video focused on Danny, "Look at THIS!"

Jazz, Jack and Maddie looked on and could only stare wide-eyed at the image of Danny glaring in rage, his white hair flaming, and an aura of green ecto-energy blazing around him!

"Danny?! Good heavens, what happened to him!?" Maddie gasped in shock.

"Whoa!" Jack noted with an impressed tone, "Why didn't someone tell us he could do THAT?!"

"Because he can't," Jazz replied, staring at the screen with her mouth hanging open, "Or at least…he COULDN'T."

"You look surprised. What's the matter?" Danny spoke through gritted teeth at Dark Danny, who seemed barely able to stand, "Isn't THIS what you wanted?"

Dark Danny could only scowl back as he threw his arm out, unleashing a Ghost Ray as powerful as he could make it! But Danny's expression refused to change as he reached out and with a simple backhand slap, he deflected the Ghost Ray harmlessly into the sky! But then, Danny went on the offensive, bursting forward faster than Dark Danny could follow to deliver a thunderous right to the side of his head!

Again, Dark Danny found himself enraged at his own helplessness and frustration! If only he was at full strength, then this would have been a minor problem! Or at least he would have been able to hold his own! But his fight with Future Danny had still taken too much out of him! And this new Danny was too strong…too fast! Every time Dark Danny tried to launch an attack, it was as if Danny was three steps ahead, dodging the attack and firing back with one of his own! Every time he tried to throw a punch, Danny would whisk to the side and clock him in the side of the head! And his Ghost Rays were too weak to be useful now! Every time he fired one off, Danny would either dodge it or sweep it aside!

And yet…all he could think about was…how was this possible? How had Danny gained the ability to transform like this? Dark Danny was only able to reach such a form by merging with the ghost half of Vlad Plasmius! So how was Danny able to do it on his own? It was like the Ghostly Wail all over again! Danny should've needed another 10 years to gain that power! So how was he able to acquire it so quickly? And where did this new form come from?!

"Oh, yeah! Rumble, young man, rumble!" Tucker cheered from the sidelines as Dark Danny seemed unable to even mount a defense against Danny's onslaught, "I don't know how you're doing this man, but keep it up!"

"You might want to rethink that," Valerie replied, her worried look shaking Tucker out of his joyous mood, "Jazz, are you seeing these readings?"

The Fentons remained glued to the screen and Valerie's armor sent its readings through a separate computer window. Maddie was the first to interpret the numbers as her eyes widened in horror! Jazz would soon follow her shock while Jack could only look on grimly.

"No," Jazz spoke under her breath, "This is bad. VERY BAD!"

"What?" Tucker's voice came in over the radio.

"I know it looks like this transformation is helping him, but it's not!" Maddie explained, "The ecto-energy is just building up inside him faster than he can release it! He can't handle much more! If this keeps up, his whole body could burn out, possibly in a matter of seconds!"

Desperate to help her son, Maddie grabbed the microphone in a desperate attempt to calm Danny down.

"Danny? Danny, it's Mommy, sweetheart. Listen to me. I know you're very upset right now, but you have to calm down. Please."

"Forget it!" Jazz stated, "His headset's blown! He can't hear us!"

"Then we've got to get there fast!" Jack announced, turning around and using his bazooka to blow another hole in the wall of Tucker's bunker, "Let's roll!"

Maddie could only sigh at Jack's recklessness, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. Danny was in danger and they had to move. Jazz was right behind them, but she stayed just long enough to send a final message to Tucker and Valerie.

"Guys, I don't know if we're going to make it in time! It's up to you two now! You've got to try and get through to him! Get him to try and undo whatever it is he's done! You're his only hope now!"

Meanwhile, Danny's assault continued uninterrupted as he fired an enormous Ghost Ray that completely enveloped Dark Danny, plowing him into the street as his body gouged through the asphalt! In fact, the force of the blast was so strong that it actually forced the Ghost Shield cube out of Dark Danny's body, sending it rattling along the ground. Dark Danny, meanwhile, barely able to stay conscious, could only look up to see Danny towering over him! Stray wisps from his shoulders made it look like steam was actually escaping from his body. But Dark Danny was far too weak to pay it any attention.

"You wanted me ruthless? You wanted me cold?" Danny spoke under his breath as his fists began to flash with blue ecto-energy, "Well…I'll SHOW you cold!"

With that, Danny brought his fist down across Dark Danny's jaw! But because he was using his freezing powers, Dark Danny's face became encased in a thick layer of ice where he'd been struck! Again and again, Danny pummeled Dark Danny's body mercilessly, the ice around him getting thicker until it had created a thick, jagged pillar of ice!

This was exactly the scene that greeted Tucker and Valerie's eyes as they had finally caught up with the action. Danny was standing at the base of Dark Danny's frozen tomb, panting heavily, but still glaring in rage. On the surface, he seemed completely unwilling to slow down, but the steam wafting from his body told a different story. It actually looked as if his body was starting to evaporate! And once that sight greeted their eyes, Tucker and Valerie realized that Maddie's analysis was all too accurate. It was like a door had opened up deep inside Danny, unleashing a source of energy without limit. But the door wasn't closing! And if someone didn't close it soon, Danny could be lost forever!

"Danny!" Tucker called out, "Dude, you won, okay?! It's over! You've got to chill, man! All that energy you're building up is tearing you apart! You've got to get rid of it!"

Danny, however, didn't respond. It was as if he couldn't hear Tucker's words. Or if he did, he didn't care. Still looking down at Dark Danny's frozen expression, Danny took off straight up into the sky. And then, raising his hands over his head, Danny yelled out as a massive orb of ecto-energy formed over his head, as big as the Fenton Works Building! Tucker and Valerie could only look up shocked, but not half as shocked as they noticed the steam from Danny's body starting to grow more intense. Even parts of his body were starting to disappear now! If they couldn't get through to him fast, Danny's whole body was literally going to vanish on the breeze!

"Danny, listen to me!" Valerie tried her turn to reason with him, "You've got to stop! Look at yourself! Look what's happening to you! If you don't calm down, and I mean right now, there isn't going to be a Danny Phantom left in this world! And you can't let that happen. Maybe I didn't believe this before, but I know it now…this world NEEDS Danny Phantom!"

If Danny were in a different frame of mind, Valerie's words might have been enough to sway him. But as he still looked down at Dark Danny, his eyes blazing in rage, it was clear that he was beyond rational thinking. It seemed like nothing could reach him now. But Danny's body was fading away right before their eyes. If someone didn't get through to him soon…!

"DANNY!!!!"

Just then, a familiar voice rang into Danny's ears, finally causing him to turn his attention away from Dark Danny! Tucker and Valerie immediately whirled around to see who could have finally gotten his attention! And they were shocked to see Sam stumbling onto the battlefield, hurt, but back on her feet as she clutched her side!

"Danny," Sam tried to speak in a soothing tone, using every bit of strength she had not to sound panicked, "Please…you've got to calm down. All that energy building up inside you right now…I know how much you want to use it…but you can't. You've got to stop right now. Please…it's killing you. And if you're gone…I…I don't know what I'd…"

Sam turned away as she found herself almost breaking down, her emotions beginning to get the better of her. For a moment, she seemed to be the only one to get Danny's attention. But the way his face was still so twisted in anger, it was like he only barely recognized her! And as soon as she'd stopped talking, he had turned his attention back to Dark Danny as he prepared to launch his attack again! But if he did that, it might be enough to…

"DANNY, LOOK AT ME!!!!"

Sam's words again cut into Danny's brain as she got his attention again. But as he looked back at her and saw her eyes pleading at him, something had changed. No longer the raging beast he was before, his face seemed almost…confused. It was as if he was struggling against himself.

"Danny, please…I'm begging you," Sam's voice started to crack as her emotions began pouring out her, "Come back to me."

This time, Sam wouldn't let up! She wasn't going to stop until she got him back, no matter what! And as she continued to speak, Danny's face seemed to be reacting more and more! Seeing her in such pain seemed bring out an equal amount of pain in him, drowning out his rage!

"Danny, I said this to Jazz earlier! It was how I knew I had to do what I did! I've felt this for a long time, but ever since you and I got together, I've KNOWN it! I can't lose you now…! Danny…I need you!"…

Danny's face continued to wince in pain…

…"I need you so much, it hurts! I can't imagine a single day if you're not in it!"…

…He seemed even more torn as his other emotions struggled against his anger…

…"I'd be lost if you weren't there!"…

…The sight of Sam looking up at him, forcing back tears, seemed to shake him to his very soul….

…"I can't live without you, Danny!"…

…And every single one of her words seemed to pierce his heart like a blade…

…"You Mean Everything To Me!!"…

…Even a tear began to trail down his cheek…

…"DANNY, PLEASE!!!"

"Uunnnh," Danny suddenly looked exhausted as his head and arms fell limp and the orb over his head dissipated in a brilliant glittering cloud! He was just barely able to lift his head a moment later, but it was clear that Sam had done what she needed to do. His hair had returned to normal and the aura around his body was white again! But the danger still hadn't passed just yet!

"Sam…" Danny groaned, half conscious in mid-air as he suddenly turned human again, "…help…me…"

"Danny!!" everything else faded into nothing as Sam's instincts took over, transforming into her ghost form and bursting forward at top speed as Danny lost consciousness and plummeted to earth like a stone! Flying as fast as she could, she wrapped her arms around him with seconds to spare, gently floating back down to the ground before crumpling to her knees with Danny in her arms! Danny couldn't acknowledge her or even open his eyes. But his breathing and a slight groan indicated that he was still very much alive. And Sam couldn't have been more thankful as she held him close, burying her face into his shoulder.

Tucker and Valerie could only look on in shock as they ran over to where Sam and Danny had landed! Sam was now half ghost too?! They still couldn't quite get their heads around it as they stood over Sam, still holding Danny in her arms.

"Sam?" Tucker asked instinctively, "What…happened to you?"

Sam didn't answer. She didn't even lift her head to acknowledge them. She just kept holding Danny close to her. And her lack of reaction was enough to make Valerie set aside her shock and understand that there were more important issues at stake.

"Uh, Tucker?" she whispered, "Maybe this isn't a very good time."

Conceding to the situation, Tucker looked around to assess the damage to the neighborhood. Just then, he caught a familiar shape out of the corner of his eye.

"Huh?" he noted curiously as he ran over to see if his suspicions were correct, "Hey! It's the Ghost Shield! Now we can…AAAHHH!"

Tucker wouldn't get the chance to complete his triumphant thought. For just as he picked up the cube, Dark Danny burst from the ice pillar behind him in an explosion of ecto-energy, sending him flying back the way he came! Sam and Valerie could only look up in shock as Tucker landed in front of them!

"You've got to be kidding me! What does it take to keep this guy down?!" Valerie exclaimed as Dark Danny glared at them! He was beaten, he was bruised, but he was also VERY mad!

"I…have had…ENOUGH!!!" Dark Danny roared, his voice seeming to shake the very buildings!

"Aw, don't be that way," Tucker replied confidently as he pulled out the Ghost Shield cube, "You're just in time for seconds!"

To Dark Danny's surprise and anger, Tucker pushed the button on top of the cube, instantly releasing the Ghost Shield around Future Danny and Future Sam. And once they realized they were free, they weren't about to waste a second of it!

"Let's go," Future Danny said simply as the pair burst into the sky at top speed! Meanwhile, a battered and broken Dark Danny was limping forward towards Sam and the others. Valerie and Tucker had backed away a few steps, closer to the Specter Speeder. Dark Danny may have been severely weakened, but that still didn't change the fact that they had no weapons to fight him with. Sam, however, was still kneeling where she was, holding Danny in her arms. Danny was still out and unable to defend himself. And there was no way she was going to leave him like that! Her eyes glowed brightly as she glared at Dark Danny as he struggled to raise his arm towards them, his hand starting to flash with ecto-energy! She even threw out a glowing hand of her own, cradling Danny in her free arm. At that moment, only one thought echoed through her mind. If it was a fire fight Dark Danny wanted, win lose or draw, she was going to give him one!

Just then, a wave of ecto-energy tore through and split the ground between them! Future Danny and Future Sam would touch down a mere moment later, standing tall between Sam and Dark Danny. Dark Danny could only glare in frustration. He was right back where he started just minutes before, helpless to defend himself and being stared down by two opponents, both of whose power easily matched his own! He didn't even have the energy to escape, let alone fight both Future Danny AND Future Sam at the same time! He was completely at their mercy!

"Well," Future Danny smirked as Future Sam tossed him their Fenton Thermos, "I think we're pretty much done for the day, don't you?"

"Oh, you're done alright…!" an oddly familiar voice sounded off in the sky, drawing everyone's attention. But before anyone could react, Future Danny and Future Sam were suddenly struck by what looked like bolts of lightning! Sam and the others could only look up in shock to see Vlad Plasmius floating in the sky, wearing the Fenton's gauntlets, which was now blasting Future Danny and Future Sam with its strange energy!

"Me…I'm just getting started!"

The blast from the gauntlets didn't seem to be hurting Future Danny or Future Sam at all. But a few short seconds later, Future Danny dropped the Fenton Thermos as he and Future Sam both seemed to have trouble standing! And it didn't take long for the others to see why! A green glow was trailing up the electrical streams, being absorbed into the gauntlets! Vlad was actually using the gauntlets to steal their ecto-energy!

Future Danny was the first to succumb, still weary from his fight. As the others watched his uniform give way to a black dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, blue jeans and black boots, Future Danny turned back into his human form and crumpled to his knees! Future Sam lost consciousness right behind him, losing her ghostly transformation as well! But Vlad wasn't done yet! With the two chief threats eliminated, he turned his attention to a weakened Dark Danny, using the gauntlets' energy on him next! But being pure ghost, Dark Danny's entire body was actually absorbed into the gauntlets! Not the effect anyone had expected. Of course, Vlad wasn't complaining about that development in the least as Sam and the others could only looked on, stunned! After everything they had already been through, this was the last thing any of them had seen coming!

"Well, well, Clockwork. I hope you're watching," Vlad declared triumphantly, "Looks like you helped me out after all. Whether you wanted to or not!"

Reveling in his newly acquired power, Vlad laughed to the sky in victory as Sam and the others remained in shock. Meanwhile, Clockwork only looked on from his palace, his face turning into a grim scowl.


	7. Chapter 7

Danny Phantom: Facing the Future

Part 7

By Aaron

No doubt about it, Amity Park had been on a wild ride the last few hours. Between Sam getting ghost powers and three Danny Phantoms turning part of the city into a war zone, the day had certainly been filled with ups and downs. And just when it looked like Future Danny and Future Sam were finally going to bring everything to a welcome end, Vlad Plasmius came along and ran everything off the rails!

"Ahhh," he sighed, a look of twisted satisfaction on his face, "The unbridled might of three future ghosts, each in their prime. And now, all of it mine to command. Of course, it's no mastery of time, but it makes for a very nice consolation prize."

It was then he looked down to see Danny still lying unconscious in Sam's arms, who could only look up at Vlad with Tucker and Valerie, all glaring in futile defiance! Sam was the only one with ghost powers still in the fight, but with the combined strength of Future Sam, Future Danny AND Dark Danny behind him, it was clear that there was no way she could possibly take Vlad down!

"Oh, and to think young Daniel is snoozing away during my moment of triumph! Isn't that just typical?!" Vlad complained, "So now what, I'm forced to gloat to the peanut gallery?! And here I was hoping there would be at least SOMEONE worth demonstrating my awesome new power on…what?!"

Just then, Vlad's boasts were cut short as the gauntlet on his left hand began to throw off a series of sparks. But before he could determine exactly what was going on, the gauntlet exploded off his hand, blasting through the sky like a missile before floating in mid-air just a few yards away! Ecto-energy was pouring out from the gauntlet's opening, but for some reason, it wasn't dissipating! And it soon became apparent why! For a moment later, the energy warped and molded itself into shape before exploding into an unmistakable form that the others could only look at in horror! Not only had Dark Danny emerged from the gauntlet, but now he appeared to be completely healed!

"Same old Vlad," he noted with a sinister chuckle, "You always did claim victory before you ACTUALLY won. It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic."

"But…but how…?!" Vlad could only stammer in surprise.

"It's because he's pure ghost," Tucker concluded, "When Vlad used the gauntlets to absorb him, he must have absorbed the energy from Danny and Sam when he was inside and it gave him his power back!"

"Oh, just ducky!" Vlad yelled, "This is what I get for trusting one of Jack Fenton's inventions!"

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Dark Danny replied, "But I have to say, I wouldn't mind a little more of that. So what do you say 'Unkie Vlad'? You hand me the other one and MAYBE I'll consider thinking about letting you live…for another day or two."

"Ha! YOU threaten ME?! You think 10 years is enough to make you MY equal?!" Vlad mocked. However, his defiance only drew an amused chuckle from Dark Danny.

"Oh…do you have any idea how badly I was hoping you'd say that?" he replied with a twisted grin.

Vlad only scowled in response and wasted little time in bursting through the sky, making a beeline straight for Dark Danny! But Dark Danny wasn't about to be outdone as he charged forward as well! And with both of them blazing with ecto-energy they'd stolen from Future Danny and Future Sam, the reaction when their fists made contact was like a bomb going off in mid-air! The force of the shockwave rocked Sam, Tucker and Valerie to the core, but that wasn't all it did! When the shockwave hit, it caused further damage to a wall that had been damaged by the fuel tanker explosion. A wall that was now crumbling down on an unconscious Future Danny and Future Sam!

"No!!" Sam cried out as she whipped her hands out, throwing out two large Ghost Ray strands that lashed around Future Danny and Future Sam, pulling them out of harm's way and just barely saving them both from being crushed! As Sam dragged them both over to where she was still caring for Danny, Tucker pulled up in the Specter Speeder.

"Come on!" he shouted, "We've got to get out of here!"

Valerie was quick to help Sam load the others into the back of the Specter Speeder, allowing Tucker to speed them away. Luckily, neither Vlad nor Dark Danny were anywhere in the immediate area to stop them, or even to see them leave. Vlad was picking himself up, rubbing the back of his head in a daze. The force of the impact with Dark Danny had sent him flying through the hood of an abandoned car. But as he looked up, he saw Dark Danny slowly emerge from a plume of smoke and dust. But as Dark Danny grinned at Vlad wickedly, there didn't appear to be even a scratch on him! He simply chuckled as he cracked the knuckles of his right hand and his voice lowered into an evil hiss.

"You KNOW I'm going to hurt you…old man."

Vlad sneered in contempt as he threw two full power Ghost Rays straight at Dark Danny! But Dark Danny merely smirked as he threw up an ecto-energy force field. The Ghost Rays struck the field a moment later, erupting into an explosion of raw power!

* * *

Tucker parked the Specter Speeder into a deep alley a few blocks away as the battle raged off in the distance. Future Danny and Future Sam were still out cold. The only way they were going to get back into the fight was by getting those gauntlets back. Danny, meanwhile, was still unconscious from his surprising transformation and only time would tell when he was going to recover again. Tucker and Valerie knew they were going to need Danny back on his feet if they were going to mount what was left of their forces to the fullest. Still, with both Vlad AND Dark Danny to worry about, both of them now stronger than ever, their chances of actually winning were ranging from slim to none.

Sam kept watch on the ramp as Tucker and Valerie did what they could to look after the others. And a worried look crossed her face as she saw the Ghost Rays flashing in the sky, hearing the explosions like a fireworks show in the middle of the day. There was no way she'd be strong enough to repel an attack if either Vlad or Dark Danny found them and she knew it. And Danny was in no shape to help them because he'd wiped himself out trying to protect her. When she made the decision to acquire her powers, Sam had pictured so many scenarios in her head of the kinds of things that would happen. But she never imagined for one second that it would all go so wrong like this. Looking up into the sky as the war continued on, Sam could only feel completely helpless. And to think, she went for these powers so she wouldn't HAVE to feel that way anymore. Just then, she could hear every other voice echoing in her head at once and suddenly, the choice she had once been so sure of, didn't seem so clear…

…"Sam, have you thought for one second what Danny would go through if you were out there with him and got hurt? What it would do to him?"…

…"You're not ready to roll with THIS!"…

…"Sam, I just…didn't want this for you."…

…"Hmph! Rookie."…

"Uuunh…oh man…" Danny's voice broke her out of her depression as she whirled around to see him wide awake! Tucker and Valerie even looked as surprised as she did. They had only taken their eyes off him for the briefest moment, and there he was already sitting up! Sometimes, it was just unbelievable how Danny was able to bounce back from these things so easily.

"Sam? Are you okay?" he asked, Sam being the first person he looked for when he came to. And seeing her up and around again was enough to make Danny smile weakly. And he wasn't the only relieved one. At first, all Sam wanted to do was to grab him and hold him and not let go. But immediately after, she found herself pulling away. After everything that had happened up to that point, she just couldn't bring herself to face him. But before Danny could react to her turning away, Tucker provided a timely distraction.

"Dude, are YOU okay?" he said, rushing over to him, "It got pretty bad out there for you."

"I'm alright," Danny replied, stretching his joints to work out any kinks, "How long was I out?"

"About 10 minutes…maybe 15," Valerie answered, "But man, I cannot TELL you how glad we are to see you right now."

"Hmmm," Danny responded before looking over to see Future Danny and Future Sam lying beside him, "I'm gonna wish I was still unconscious, aren't I?"

"Well, we've had a bit of a plot twist," Tucker explained, with apprehension in his voice, "See, well…Vlad showed up and…"

"VLAD!" Danny shouted, cutting Tucker off as he snapped to his feet, "Oh, that's just great!"

"Yeah, well, somehow he got his hands on those gloves from your parents' lab," Tucker continued, "And then he tricked them out so he could steal the ecto-energy from your future selves. But when he did that, he ended up giving the evil you his powers back and now, they're pretty much…"

A thundering explosion roared overhead, cutting off Tucker's words as the Specter Speeder shook from the force! Running down the ramp, Danny looked up and the sight that greeted his eyes didn't agree with him one bit. Clearly, both Vlad and Dark Danny had to be stopped for Amity Park's sake, if not the entire world. But with Future Danny and Future Sam powering them up, Danny obviously wouldn't stand a chance in a toe-to-toe slugfest. He was going to have to play this smart.

"Okay," he said, calming down and giving himself a moment to approach the situation with a clear head, "I think I've got an idea."

"You 'think'?" Valerie replied, "Not exactly a ringing endorsement, Danny."

"Well, I KNOW I don't have time to think of a BETTER one," Danny argued before transforming, "Every second counts here. But I don't know if I can do this alone. Sam, I really hate to ask but…Sam?"

Danny looked over to see that Sam was no longer on the ramp of the Specter Speeder. Looking outside, he saw Sam standing away from the vehicle, almost towards the edge of the alley, with her head hanging low. Gently, he walked over to her, but he made sure she could hear him coming.

"Sam?" he asked softly. He reached out to her slowly, but a heavy sigh from Sam forced him to pull his hand away.

"Some protector I turned out to be, huh?" she said solemnly. Danny found himself sighing as well as he slowly turned away.

"Sam…look, I'm sorry about yelling at you before. It all came out wrong. It's just…I saw you like that and I didn't know what to think…I…guess I overreacted."

"No you didn't," Sam replied, turning around to face him, "You were right. All of you were right."

"Huh?" Danny looked at her curiously.

"I'm in over my head!" Sam yelled, more at herself than at Danny, "Everyone tried to warn me! Jazz…you…even me…all of you tried to tell me I was being stupid…and I just wouldn't listen!"

Sam turned back away from Danny, crossing her arms over her stomach as she sighed again.

"What was I thinking? I can't believe I was such an idiot."

"Hey, come on. That's not fair," Danny said, trying to sound reassuring as he walked up behind her and gently put his hands on her shoulders, "What happened to my girl who said she had her own way of doing things? This doesn't sound like her."

"Danny, what about you?!" Sam argued, "I almost lost you today! All that talk, saying I wanted to protect you and what good did it do?!"

"Sam," Danny gently held her face in his hands, guiding her eyes up to meet his, "You DID protect me. If you hadn't gotten through to me when you did…I don't know what would have happened."

Danny looked at her intently, his eyes never wavering for an instant, and Sam could only look into his eyes as he continued.

"Look, I…don't remember much about what happened. Most of it is just a blur to me. The only thing I remember clearly was you…seeing your face…hearing your voice. I don't know how you did it, but you did it. You pulled me back, Sam, from wherever I was. Don't forget that."

"But if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have HAD to be pulled back," Sam replied, not really feeling better, "If I hadn't been so reckless and screwed up when I did…"

"What, so that's it?" Danny argued, cutting her off, "You make one mistake and you're just gonna hang it up?"

"Danny, this whole thing was a mistake!" Sam argued back, her voice slightly cracking, "Look, I…I thought I was up to this. I really, really did. But right now, all I can think about is what could have happened and…"

"Hey…but it didn't," Danny cut her off again, reaching out and gently grabbing her shoulders. Sam could only look at him with a hint of surprise. After everything he'd said before…after what had almost happened to him…why was he suddenly being so supportive?

"Okay…you screwed up. It happens," Danny continued, pausing with a hollow chuckle, "I mean…look at ME. Sam, I've screwed up so many times I can't even count them all anymore!"

Danny paused for a moment to offer Sam a reassuring smile.

"But you know what? There's something I've learned after all this time…" he added, gently propping her chin up between his thumb and forefinger.

"…It doesn't matter how many mistakes you make…it's never too late to make things right."

As Danny's words began to hit home, Sam suddenly found herself welling up with emotion. It was the same swell of happiness she felt when Danny gave her his class ring. And as she struggled to hold back tears, all she could do was smile as she closed her eyes, running her hands up Danny's arms and softly pressing her forehead to his.

"Aw, Danny…"

"Ooookay, that was good. That was really nice," Tucker suddenly appeared beside them with a look of impatience, snapping them out of the warm moment, "Now if you two are done rehearsing this After School Special, do you think maybe you could get a move on and actually go after the bad guys now?"

Danny and Sam needed a moment longer to stop the blushing reflex. But as they looked back at each other, Danny merely smiled and shrugged.

"Hey…you heard the man," he said, tracing his finger under Sam's chin, "So…think you're up to it?"

Sam didn't answer him. She didn't have to. Taking a moment to wipe away the tears, she simply took a deep breath before opening her eyes and flashing Danny a determined smile.

* * *

"Okay, so what's the plan!?" Sam called over as the two raced through the sky towards the small war that was taking place just a few short blocks away.

"A VERY small window of opportunity!" Danny replied, determined to get to the battle quickly, "But we've got to move fast! I doubt Vlad's going to last much longer!"

"Vlad?! Why him?!" Sam asked, "How do you know he's not going to win?!"

Danny didn't answer right away. Only an intense scowl came across his face.

"I know."

Even if Vlad could have heard Danny's prediction of who was going to be the winner in this fight, he would have had a VERY hard time proving him wrong. As the smoke cleared after their last exchange, Vlad looked to be almost out on his feet as he stood slumped over, barely able to lift his arms. Dark Danny, meanwhile, was standing just a few feet away. All signs indicated that he was just as battered as Vlad was, but he didn't seem to be showing nearly the same level of fatigue. He was even laughing a little.

"Awww, what's wrong?" he taunted with a confident smirk, "Getting old in your old age?"

Glaring in anger, Vlad charged forward, his fist blazing with all the ecto-energy he had left to give! But his attack was all in vain as Dark Danny simply side-stepped him, reaching out and grabbing his hand that was still wearing the gauntlet! Unable to react fast enough, Vlad could only gasp as Dark Danny's free hand let loose with an explosive Ghost Ray, striking Vlad with such force, it actually tore his hand out of the gauntlet, sending him bouncing along the street! And without the gauntlet's stolen power to sustain him, Vlad was instantly transformed out of his ghost form as he passed out! Meanwhile, Dark Danny hovered overhead, chuckling wickedly as he clutched his new prize!

"Ah, I have to admit, that was very enjoyable," he stated with a twisted contentment. Just then, his eyes went wide as he felt a sudden surge of inspiration.

"Hmmm, you know, I just had a thought. Spur of the moment, top of my head. Tell me what you think," he said, looking down at a still unconscious Vlad with evil intentions as he prepared to put on the second gauntlet, "I wonder how much more power I'll get with YOU in the mix."

But Dark Danny wouldn't get the chance to find out! Just as he was about to put it on, the second gauntlet disappeared from his hands! A split second later, the gauntlet he was wearing disappeared too, and Dark Danny found himself completely caught off guard!

"What the…?! What's going on!?!" he cried out, unable to react in his moment of confusion. Just then, he caught Danny appearing out of the corner of his eye, flying back to the street with both gauntlets in his hands. This was exactly the kind of reaction Danny was hoping for when he came up with this idea. Vlad most likely wouldn't have been so thrown off by such a relatively simple strategy, but on an impulsive hothead like Dark Danny, it was just perfect!

"Sorry!" Danny called out tauntingly, "But due to reports of misuse from irresponsible ghosts who have no business using it, I'm afraid this product has been recalled!"

"You…" Dark Danny muttered acidly through gritted teeth. Then, with a roar, he unleashed an enormous wave of ecto-energy, heading straight for Danny! Fortunately, Danny had planned for this as well. He knew he had little chance of outrunning the attack, but thanks to the second part of his plan, he wouldn't have to!

"Heads up, Sam! It's all you now!" Danny called down, firing the gauntlets back down to earth with a Ghost Ray blast before throwing up an ecto-energy force field to protect himself. Just then, Sam came bursting through the air from behind a pile of rubble. With her hands blazing, she quickly formed a set of ghost ray claws as she crossed paths with the gauntlets. And with a single swipe of her arms, she slashed them both into a hail of scrap!

With the gauntlets destroyed, the ecto-energy that was contained inside them exploded into the sky, streaming back to the Specter Speeder and striking Future Danny and Future Sam! As their eyes snapped open and the pair flipped to their feet, Tucker and Valerie could only look on and smile at each other, confident that Danny and Sam had done what they needed to do.

"Good to have you back!" Tucker stated, "You guys feeling okay?"

"We'll be okay later," Future Danny replied as he and Future Sam looked over at Tucker and Valerie with glowing eyes, "Right now, we're too mad!"

Future Danny's feelings were quite obvious as he and Future Sam transformed, blasting off into the sky with enough force to shake the Specter Speeder! Meanwhile, Sam was feeling pretty pleased with herself as she examined the wreckage of the gauntlets lying at her feet.

"Hmh! Claiming victory before you actually won!" she stated, referring to Dark Danny, "Gee, I wonder where you got THAT from…"

Unfortunately, Sam didn't get the chance to finish her boast as a smoldering Danny smashed into the street beside her, cutting off her words! Lying in a man-sized crater, Danny could only make raspy breaths as Sam approached.

"So…was THIS part of your plan too?" she asked as Danny struggled to focus his eyes so he could see her clearly.

"Unnh…Admittedly…this hurt more than I wanted it to," Danny groaned as Sam knelt down to sit him up. Just then, a dim glow caught the corner of her eye and she looked up in shock to see a barrage of Ghost Rays raining down on them like meteors! Acting on instinct, Sam held Danny close, phasing them both as the Ghost Rays exploded harmlessly around them into the street! Confident that they were safe, Sam waited until the attack was over and made sure there was no more flying debris before turning her and Danny tangible again.

"You think one of these days, you're going to remember you can actually DO that instead of letting yourself get blasted all the time?" she mentioned as she helped Danny to his feet.

"Oh great," Danny commented as he brushed himself off, "I'm getting lectured now by 'Jenny-Come-Lately'."

"Nice!" Sam shot back sarcastically, flashing an amused half smile as she lightly slapped his arm. But one person who was clearly not amused was Dark Danny as he landed with such force that his feet actually smashed into the asphalt! His flashing eyes and blazing fists were clear signs of his rage as he stomped towards Danny and Sam, every molecule in his body screaming to do something nasty! But the pair seemed oddly unaffected by the threat as they simply smirked at each other.

"Awww," Sam spoke tauntingly to Danny, "You know, I don't think he's happy with us."

"Gee, I don't think he is either," Danny replied, "But he's REALLY not going to be happy with THIS."

With that, Danny and Sam closed their eyes and curiously tilted their heads away from each other. But a split second later, an enormous Ghost Ray passed between them, slamming a surprised Dark Danny hard in the chest and sending him flying through the wall of a nearby building! The pair didn't even have to look to see who the blast came from, because right after, Future Danny and Future Sam landed on the scene! And their angry glowing eyes showed that they were definitely spoiling to get some hurting done!

"WHERE IS HE?!?!" Future Danny yelled, looking around before he spotted a groaning Vlad slowly regaining consciousness just a few feet away, "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM…!!!!"

"Whoa there, big guy," Sam chimed in as she cut off Future Danny's advance, flying between him and Vlad and trying to hold him back, "You've still got a job to do, remember? Leave it to us. WE can handle this."

Danny flew in right behind her to assure Future Danny that they had the situation under control on their end. And Future Danny had to admit that Sam had a point. He did have more important things to worry about than Vlad. But as Vlad looked up at him in a daze, all Future Danny could think about was all the pain he wanted to inflict! Unfortunately though, responsibility had to come first.

"THIS JUST BECAME THE LUCKIEST DAY OF YOUR WORTHLESS LIFE!!!" Future Danny snarled before he turned around and flew back to Future Sam's side. Meanwhile, Danny and Sam turned to Vlad in order to handle their part of the problem.

"I really don't know why I'm surprised," Danny sighed, shaking his head as Vlad struggled to his feet, "Leave it to you to come along and screw it all up just when everything's going fine."

"Oh please," Vlad replied with his usual dismissive air as he casually brushed himself off, "Do you really think your contempt is going to make me feel bad?"

"Well then," Sam answered, her hands blazing with ecto-energy, "I guess we'll just have to see what a few months of traction will do."

"You can't be serious," Vlad stated with a hollow chuckle as he transformed back into his ghost form! Sam, meanwhile, wasted no time in unleashing a barrage of Ghost Ray strands, wrapping Vlad up as tight as she could! But Vlad merely tossed a confident smirk and Sam could only look on in surprise as he worked his hand out and grabbed the strands with seemingly no effort at all!

"You're not at the kids' table anymore, little girl!" Vlad announced as pulled the strands hard, yanking Sam off her feet! But this time, it was Sam's turn for a surprise. Instead of sprawling, Sam burst into the air, flying straight for Vlad at top speed as her Ghost Ray strands unraveled! Acting on instinct, Vlad threw his fist out to strike her, but Sam surprised him a second time as she went into her phased form, passing harmlessly through him! Instantly, Vlad whirled around to retaliate, but what he saw was Sam floating in mid-air just inches away, pulling back a blazing ecto-charged fist!

"Neither are YOU!" she shouted, smashing Vlad across the face with a powered up left, sending him flying straight towards Danny! Not about to let up the assault, Danny charged his fists, blasting Vlad with a pair of point blank Ghost Rays, sending him flying into a pile of debris! But Vlad wouldn't be taken down so easily! Erupting from the rubble, he quickly re-emerged, only this time, split into his four ghost copies!

"You're not the only ones who can play the numbers game, you know!" he gloated, once again sensing an easy win!

"You don't say!" Danny replied, causing the Vlad copies to look around and see four Danny copies standing around them, "Now I know you've heard this one before, but let's see how you like it in SURROUND SOUND!"

Sam picked up on Danny's cue and covered her ears as she hid behind a nearby car! And she was wise to do it! Because a second later, all four Danny copies unleashed a Ghostly Wail attack on the four Vlad copies, trapping them in a swirling vortex of sound wave energy! Vlad tried his best to fight against the crushing pressure and deafening sound, but it was only a matter of moments before he lost his concentration and his copies vanished! But as Vlad crumpled to his knees, the strain of launching the Ghostly Wail from four different directions took its toll on Danny as well as his own copies disappeared and he struggled to keep his balance!

"Uuunh…okay. That…was spreading it a bit thin," Danny groaned in a daze, holding his head to try and keep it from spinning. Sensing the chance to strike, Vlad punched the ground hard, unleashing an explosion of ecto-energy before Danny could mount a defense! But luckily for Danny, Sam swooped in at the last second, grabbing Danny and phasing them both through the wall of energy as she flew him out of range! Meanwhile, Vlad was still standing in the crater he'd created from his attack, smirking at Danny's exhausted state.

"Ah, still confusing arrogance with intelligence, I see," he remarked smugly.

"Oh is that what you call it?" Sam replied, still holding Danny up as he tried to clear his head, "You know, Vlad, there's something I've figured out about you. All this time you've spent trying to take power away from everyone else, you weren't being smart…"

"…You were just a coward."

"You know," Danny added with an amused chuckle as the haze started to lift, "I don't think I could have said it any better myself,"

Vlad simply glared at them as Danny pulled away from Sam, his strength coming back. And Sam had to admit that she was quite impressed with Danny's ability to recover so quickly. Hopefully, it would be an ability she would get herself before too long. But there were more important things at hand to deal with first. And Sam's fists blazed with ecto-energy as she stood firm beside Danny, both of them flashing each other a confident grin as they prepared for Round 2. And Vlad was more than happy to kick things off by firing a pair of Ghost Rays at them!

* * *

Unfortunately, Future Danny and Future Sam weren't doing quite as well in their early goings. Their first couple of attacks hadn't gone so well and as they charged at Dark Danny for another assault, Dark Danny simply swept them back with a pair of Ghost Rays! Future Danny and Future Sam were both still able to stay on their feet, but the Ghost Rays were enough to send them skidding back along the street! And Dark Danny flashed an evil grin as they both seemed out on their feet, their bodies still smoldering!

"Awww, what's wrong? Not winning as easily as you thought?" He taunted confidently, "But then I guess that's what happens when I've still got most of your power, even without those stupid gloves!"

"You know…you may have a point there," Future Danny replied, cracking his neck before he and Future Sam exchanged glances. And Dark Danny couldn't help but be confused. Was he actually…chuckling?

"I guess that means we'll just have to take off OUR kid gloves."

As Future Danny spoke, Future Sam reached up and pulled her hair band off, letting the small ponytail on the top of her head fall away. And Dark Danny could still only look on confused. After all, they couldn't possibly think they still had a chance of winning…could they?

"Okay…be kind," she stated, "After all, we don't get to do this one very much. We're still working out a lot of the kinks."

Before Dark Danny could ask himself anymore questions, Future Danny and Future Sam stood tall. And he couldn't believe what he was seeing! It looked like they were transforming, but this time, the rings of ecto-energy surrounding them weren't white! They were green! And it didn't take long to see what it meant! Future Danny's muscles bulged, becoming visible even through his jacket! An ominous green aura surrounded his body! And his hair…his hair had changed into white flames! And Dark Danny could only look on in shock! He looked…just like Danny looked when HE had undergone that strange transformation before!

But Future Danny wasn't the only one showing changes! As Future Sam transformed as well, her body took on the same green glow! Her teeth grew into sharp fangs! Her fingernails turned green! And her hair grew to such and incredible length that it not only draped along the ground, it even covered the left side of her face like a veil! And as they both stared at Dark Danny with glowing eyes, Future Sam's lips curled into a twisted smile!

"Okay," Future Danny said with a deep breath, "Let's try this again."

Future Sam didn't speak, her face still showing the same sick grin as she raised her hand! Suddenly, her fingernails began to glow and shot out to three times their length! A moment later, it looked like she had turned invisible. But a split second later, Dark Danny soon realized that wasn't the case as he felt a searing pain across his chest! Future Sam hadn't turned invisible at all, but had charged at him with so fast, his eyes couldn't follow! And she had slashed at him with such force, she had actually taken him off his feet! He wouldn't even get the chance to land, because before he could hit the ground, Future Danny just appeared in front of him, ready to strike with a blazing fist! Dark Danny felt like he was moving in slow motion, while everything else was moving around him at warp speed as Future Danny lashed out! Plowing him across the face with an ecto-powered right, Future Danny sent Dark Danny smashing into the street, creating a massive crater! Dazed and hurt, Dark Danny had to struggle just to sit up as he looked up to see Future Danny and Future Sam staring down at him from the edge of the crater!

"Awww, what's wrong?" Future Danny taunted.

"Not winning as easily as you thought?" Future Sam added with an evil hiss as Dark Danny glared up at them in frustration!

* * *

Meanwhile, Danny and Sam were having frustrations of their own. Their fight with Vlad had been going fairly, but it seemed no matter how many times they knocked him down, he kept getting right back up. And they had lost track of how many rounds this had gone.

Vlad had taken the offensive, lashing out at Sam, who managed to phase through his attack at the last second before countering with an attack of her own! As Sam drove the air out of Vlad with an ecto-powered punch to his stomach, Danny countered with a pair of Ghost Rays to his head, sending him flying through a hole in the wall of a nearby building!

"Hwooh, I really hate to say it, but I've got to hand it to him," Sam noted, bracing her hands on her knees and trying to catch her breath, "He can TAKE it. Any thoughts?"

Danny found himself breathing hard as well, keeping on guard for Vlad to emerge from the building. He had to admit, he was starting to run out of options. But just then, a thought shot across his brain like a bolt of lightning!

"Wrap him up!" He said to Sam, "As soon as he gets out, tie him up with your Ghost Rays! As many as you can make!"

"What good will THAT do?" Sam asked, unsure of what Danny's plan was, "They'll NEVER hold him."

"They won't HAVE to!" Danny replied, readying himself, "Trust me!"

Just then, Vlad appeared from the hole in the wall, his eyes glowing in rage! But Sam wasn't about to let him attack again. Whipping her hands out, she did as Danny instructed and unleashed dozens of Ghost Ray strands, more than she'd ever used before. But Vlad seemed entirely unimpressed as the strands completely wrapped him up from the neck down.

"Hmph! This again?" He said simply, "Don't you have anything new?"

"You want something new?!" Danny called out, getting Vlad's attention. Looking over, Vlad saw Danny standing right behind Sam, his hands reaching around and folding over hers! Just then, his hands glowed with blue ecto-energy.

"Make a note of THIS!"

And with that, Danny let loose, firing his blue ecto-energy and sending it traveling along Sam's Ghost Ray strands! Unable to escape in time, Vlad could only gasp in shock as the energy struck him, leaving him bound and frozen in a miniature glacier! Meanwhile, the Ghost Ray strands connected to the glacier turned brittle and fell to the ground like delicate icicles.

"Wow, cool," Sam noted with some surprise as she clapped some lingering frost off her hands, "But…how did you know that would work?"

"I didn't, really," Danny replied with a shrug, looking into her eyes and flashing an affectionate smile, "I just figured…maybe we were compatible."

Sam returned Danny's gaze with a warm smile of her own before she reached up, holding his face in her hands as she pressed her forehead to his. Danny immediately followed suit and put his arms around her to hold her close. Unfortunately, the tender moments would have to wait as a body smashed into the ground just a few feet away! A moment later, Dark Danny emerged from the small crater and Danny and Sam couldn't believe what had happened to him. He was battered almost beyond recognition. His uniform was in tatters. He looked like he had just fought an entire army. But as a green glow caught their eyes, Danny and Sam looked up to see Future Danny and Future Sam floating overhead, both in their transformed states. And they soon realized that it was an army of TWO that Future Danny had just been fighting!

"Whoa," Sam said, her eyes wide in shock, "That…is unbelievably cool."

Unfortunately, the moment of awe would only last for a moment as Future Danny and Future Sam slowly floated back down to the ground. As the green transformation reversed itself, both of them crumpled to their knees in exhaustion.

"Okay," Future Danny stated, breathing heavily, "I think that's enough of THAT."

Both Future Danny and Future Sam were still in their ghost forms, but it was clear that they were in no shape to be fighting anyone else for a while. Fortunately, Dark Danny was in no better shape. Beaten and drained as he was, it would take no effort at all to finish him off now. But as he struggled to lift his head and saw Danny and Sam standing just a few feet away, his eyes still managed to glow with anger.

"You…" he uttered through grinding teeth before his voice rose to a loud bellow!

"YOU!!!"

Delirious from rage and pain, Dark Danny charged forward, bearing down on Danny and Sam with all the strength he had left to give. He had no way of harming either of them, as weakened as he was. But he was too far gone at that point to realize it. Danny and Sam, meanwhile, simply flashed each other a confident smirk before turning back to Dark Danny, each of them pulling back a glowing fist…!

POW!!!

That did it. Dark Danny's eyes rolled as he was stopped dead in his tracks from Danny and Sam's combined blow. A second later, his head reeled and he crumpled to his knees, completely unconscious! But he wouldn't stay there long. A moment later, Dark Danny's body was sucked into the new Fenton Thermos, courtesy of Future Danny, who was still breathing hard, but still managed to give a tired chuckle of satisfaction.

"Get out of THAT…if you can."


	8. Chapter 8

Danny Phantom: Facing the Future

Epilogue

By Aaron

The calming silence after the battle made the neighborhood streets feel like a ghost town. Luckily, with the danger passed, Tucker would soon be bringing people back into the area and begin cleanup efforts. Meanwhile, Danny and Sam could only stand in the middle of the street. Looking over at their future selves standing just a few feet away, and now with time to actually think, they suddenly found themselves with a lot to ponder. But any questions they may have wanted to ask were again put on hold as Clockwork suddenly appeared through one of his time portals.

"Here," Future Danny said, tossing the Fenton Thermos into Clockwork's hands, "Let's hope he stays in there a little longer this time."

"Between his weakened state and this new containment device, I imagine it will be quite a while," Clockwork replied simply, "Still, only time will tell."

With that, Clockwork prepared to return to his palace, but he took one last moment to give everyone a parting glance.

"Not bad. Well…not REALLY bad."

"Gee, thanks," Future Danny replied with an amused smirk, "Maybe next time, we'll just let you handle it yourself and see how well YOU do."

"Hey, hang on a minute," Danny sounded, Future Danny's words suddenly making him very thoughtful, "Why DIDN'T you handle it yourself? With your powers, there had to have been a ton of better ways you could have dealt with him getting out. Why drag us into it?"

Clockwork paused, tossing another glance at Danny and Sam before flashing a cryptic half smile.

"How are you ever going to learn anything, if I have to do all the work?"

And before Danny could ask what he meant, Clockwork faded into his time portal and disappeared. But his words suddenly made Sam think of something as she turned to see Future Danny and Future Sam still assessing the damage that had been done to the area. Suddenly, a question entered her mind that she hadn't thought to ask before.

"Hey," she walked over to Future Sam, getting her attention, "You said before that I didn't know how it went down with you…how you got your powers…This IS how it went down, isn't it?"

Future Sam didn't reply right away. She and Future Danny only exchanged glances for a moment before she spoke.

"Well, about 80…90 percent," she said with a shrug, "I mean, you did pick up on a few things faster than I did, some, not so much. And that whole thing with Vlad just came out of nowhere! I mean, we honestly did NOT see that coming!"

"Speaking of Vlad, I guess we'd better figure out what to do about…!" Danny started to say, but was cut off when he and the others noticed that Vlad was gone, glacier and all! What none of them DID notice, however, was Vlad glaring at them from the darkness of a nearby alley, with the frozen Vlad right behind him. He must have split off a copy while he was still in the building to throw off Danny and Sam during the fight. But having had his own fill of fighting for one day, Vlad simply picked up his frozen copy and quietly flew off into the distance.

"Well, this time I have to say, I'm really NOT surprised by this," Danny sighed, leaving Sam to ponder her original question. But Future Sam's answer didn't seem to put her mind at ease. If anything, she seemed even more confused as she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"But…I don't get it," she added on, "If you knew this was the way it happened, why didn't you just say something? Why did you get Jazz to try and stop me? And the things you said after…why the whole song and dance?"

Again, Future Sam didn't answer right away. She only looked at Sam with a serious gaze.

"Because it wasn't my decision to make," she said finally, "I had already made the decision and understood why I did what I'd done. This time, it was your turn. You're the one who had to weigh the options and make the choice, no one else. It wasn't my place to tell you any different."

Sam had to let the words sink in for a moment. Part of what Future Sam had told her seemed to make sense, yet part of her was still unsure. What if she had decided NOT to go through with it? What would have happened then? Unfortunately, she wouldn't get the chance to ask the question.

"Oh gee, look at the time," Future Danny announced, rolling his eyes, "I guess we'd better get moving now."

Future Sam nodded in agreement and tossed Danny and Sam one last parting nod before walking over to him as the pair pulled out the Time Medallions they received from Clockwork. But Sam was still stuck for answers to her questions.

"Well…wait! Wait a minute!" she called out, running after them a couple of steps, still looking confused, "So…what happens now?"

Future Sam paused for a moment before looking at Future Danny. Then, the two of them just started snickering as they shook their heads.

"That's up to you," she laughed, shrugging her shoulders as she and Future Danny removed their Time Medallions and began to fade away, "Come on, haven't you been paying attention?"

"And hey!" Future Danny quickly called over to Danny as he pointed at Sam, "You watch her like a hawk! At least for the first couple of months…!"

And with that, they were both gone, with the carnage of the battlefield the only evidence that they had ever been there at all. Sam could only look off in the distance, feeling momentarily lost. That is, until Danny walked up and put his arm around her, pulling her close. At that moment, Sam felt some small measure of comfort as she put her arms around Danny's waist and gently rested her head on his shoulder.

But just then, another tender moment was shattered as the Fenton RV came roaring through the air, crashing just a few feet behind Danny and Sam! An annoyed Maddie and Jazz came storming out of the vehicle just a few moments later.

"Next time our son is facing a life-or-death crisis, I'M DRIVING!" Maddie shouted.

"I still don't see what the problem was!" Jack argued, still in the driver's seat, "The sign said it was a one-way street! We were only going one way!"

"Well, that's very logical Dad, but did you happen to notice how all the other cars were going IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION?!" Jazz argued back before she turned around to notice Danny standing with Sam in the middle of the street, "Oh, Danny!"

The sight of her son standing just a few feet away was enough to make Maddie smile from ear to ear. But it didn't stop her from running over and hugging Danny as tight as she could, with Jazz not far behind. It wasn't enough for them to just see that he was alright. They had to reach out and make sure.

"Oh, thank goodness," Maddie sighed, snuggling against Danny's cheek before backing away to take a second look and make sure he looked alright, "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Well…yeah. I'm fine, Mom," Danny replied with a shrug, unsure of what other answer to give. He still didn't remember much about his mysterious transformation from earlier. But he figured it must have been a pretty big deal to get Maddie and Jazz all worked up like this.

"Well, don't ever do that again!" Jazz shouted, grabbing Danny by the shoulders and shaking him, "You scared us half to death!"

"Well okay!" Danny protested, "As soon as I figure out exactly what I did, I'll make sure not to do it again!"

Sam just looked on as Maddie and Jazz continued hugging Danny while Jack reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. And she couldn't help but give a warm smile. Despite the wreckage surrounding them and no matter how embarrassed it may have made him, seeing her boyfriend alive and well and in the middle of such a tender moment made her feel as though everything was right with the world. That is, until Jack spotted her out of the corner of his eye and immediately went on alert, whipping his bazooka out at her!

"Halt! Who goes there?!" he shouted threateningly! It was at that moment that Sam looked down at herself and realized that she hadn't transformed out of her ghost form yet! And Jack's reaction to her was so sudden, she couldn't think of the right way to respond! Fortunately, Jazz was quick to come to her rescue!

"Dad, calm down!" she yelled, pushing the barrel of the weapon up into the sky, "She's…one of us."

It was at that moment that Maddie looked up and really took notice. Since she was now fully aware of what Danny changed into when he transformed, it wasn't hard to start adding things together. Her hair may have been white and her eyes may have turned green, but it was the same hairstyle. And any mother would know the face of the girl her son was dating.

"Sam…is that you?" she asked with a hint of surprise, her words sending chills down Sam's spine as she realized the jig was up, "What on earth did you do to yourself?"

"Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh…" Sam's eyes darted back and forth, finding herself at a loss for words as Jack and Maddie were immediately standing over her. And she could only laugh nervously as they stood there, impatiently waiting for answers.

"Uh…bet this looks funny, huh?"

"Bet it doesn't," Maddie replied dryly as she crossed her arms, her and Jack both looking at Sam with irritated frowns. Sam could only get out a few more nervous chuckles before realizing she had to resign herself to her fate. There was a major earful coming her way in a few short moments. And that was IF she was LUCKY.

"Hoo boy," she sighed, slumping her shoulders in submission. Jazz meanwhile, innocently rolled her eyes and quietly slunk back to the security of the RV.

* * *

A very long day had finally given way to evening and Sam was relaxing in her room, the only light being a dim table lamp and the flicker of the nearby television. From a top view, all anyone would have noticed was Sam lying back on her bed, her hands rested behind her head. Of course, anyone walking into the room would have been greeted by a far more unusual sight as Sam was actually floating in the air a good three feet above her mattress! 

Every so often, Sam's head tilted over at the TV, listening to the news report of the day's events. Cleanup efforts were reportedly underway and most of the residents had been returned to the evacuated area while others had been temporarily assigned to shelters. Tucker had wisely held a press conference to immediately get in front of the situation, mostly by leaving a few things out. Of course, the one major omission was any mention of Dark Danny or of Future Danny and Future Sam. Only a select few were privileged to that particular information.

"And let me just restate that despite eyewitness claims, my team has concluded their analysis of the area and have found no evidence of any connection between this ghost attack and Danny Phantom," Tucker spoke on the news clip, "In fact, had it not been for his heroic efforts, this attack may not have been stopped so quickly. Once again, Amity Park, and possibly the entire world, owes Danny Phantom a debt of gratitude."

Sam felt an amused smile crossing her lips as she heard Tucker speak. Admittedly, she may have looked at "Mayor Foley" to be a showboating goofball at times, but he certainly seemed comfortable behind that podium. He was even smart enough to have Valerie and Masters' Blasters arrayed behind him at the press conference to make his statements look even more legitimate. And Sam felt a certain sense of relief that Tucker was around to run damage control and keep Danny's public image positive. It seemed as long as Tucker had the media's ear, it would safe to say that Danny was going to have a pretty powerful spokesman in his corner.

But as the news reports faded into more trivial matters of the day, Sam found herself tuning out as she stared up at the ceiling. It was only now when everything was said and done that she found herself feeling the true power of everything that had just happened. At the time it was actually happening, it didn't seem like much at all. But looking back on it, it all piled on to a crushing weight.

What a difference a day makes. That was the main thought rolling through Sam's head as she held her left hand in front of her face. Suddenly, her hand turned invisible, once again giving her a crystal clear view of her ceiling. She knew her hand was still there, she could feel it. She just couldn't see it. And the knowledge that her body was now capable of doing these things made her heart pound inside her chest.

She knew deep down that she didn't regret the decision she'd made. She might have, at one time, but not now. Although she did have to endure a pretty thorough tongue lashing from Danny's parents on how Ghost Portals aren't toys. Still, Sam knew that Danny was going to be the final yardstick this decision was going to be measured by. Sure, he seemed okay with it at the end. And Future Danny and Future Sam really did look good together. But she knew deep down that none of that meant Danny was going to support her in the long run. And she wasn't entirely sure what she would do if he didn't.

However, before Sam could question the issue anymore, a sudden chill crept up her spine as an icy breath escaped her lips. This feeling was starting to become eerily familiar as she knew it could mean only one thing. Unsure of her ghostly visitor was friend of foe, Sam chose to err on the side of caution as she turned invisible before phasing herself to poke her head up through the roof. Peering cautiously, it took only a split second to recognize the figure sitting on the roof, leaning back on his arms and looking up into the sky.

"Danny?" Sam blurted out softly as she floated just high enough through the roof to find her footing.

"Hey," Danny replied, greeting her with a smile, "Got a minute? You look like you could use someone to talk to."

But as it turned out, talking was the last thing they ended up doing. It was a good 10 to 15 minutes before anything was said between them. Until then, the two of them just laid back on the roof, looking up at the sky. Sam could hear Danny's heartbeat as she rested her head on his chest. It was every bit as soothing as feeling her hand caressing his or feeling his other hand occasionally running through her hair. But it didn't change the fact that there was an issue she felt needed to be resolved.

"Hmm…too bad it's so cloudy tonight," she uttered, trying to break the ice, "This would be a great night to see some stars right now."

"Mmm," Danny only murmured in response. Sam wasn't sure whether to take that as a positive or a negative. But rather than dwell on it, she decided instead to keep going.

"I'm surprised your parents didn't tell my parents about what happened," she mentioned, her voice sounding a little more nervous, "You know…me and the whole ghost thing?"

"Well, I think they're still trying to work out how to do that," Danny replied, "After all, there isn't exactly an easy way you can work a topic like that into a casual social discussion."

"Yeah, not to mention the fact that your parents and my parents hate each others' guts," Sam added.

"Yeah, that too," Danny noted with a shrug. Sam smiled in amusement, but it was only for the briefest of moments. She knew there was no getting around it. It was a question she had to have answered before things went any further.

"Danny…" she looked away reluctantly at first, but managed to drum up the courage before looking him in the eyes and turning her hand invisible, "…are you really okay with…this? I mean, I just…I HAVE to know, okay?"

"Sam," Danny looked at her seriously for a moment before rising to his feet and reaching his hands out towards her, "There's something I want to show you. It'll just take a minute. Can you come with me?"

Sam wasn't sure what to expect, but decided to go along as she took his hands and Danny helped her up. With that, they both transformed into their ghost forms and with Danny still holding her hand, they both flew straight up into the sky. Sam still didn't know what was going on, especially when Danny flew them both up into the clouds. All she knew at that moment was that she was glad Danny was holding her hand, otherwise she would have lost him for sure in the haze. After all, he was right next to her and she couldn't even see him. Fortunately, that was only for a brief moment. It took Sam's eyes a moment to adjust as they finally burst through the clouds, but when she did, the sight that greeted her was dazzling!

The entire night sky lay stretched out before her, like an endless sea of flickering lights! The moon hung full in the sky, larger than she had ever seen it before! And all Sam could do to react was hang her mouth open in astonishment. She had stargazed before, but never like this. With the clouds just under her feet completely blanketing the earth below, she felt as though she was actually floating in space.

"Whoa…"was the only word she could get out of her mouth, her eyes still wide.

"Like it?" Danny replied, "I come up here sometimes when I've had a rough night. It calms me down. Cloudy nights are my favorite. Kind of makes me feel like I have the whole thing to myself, you know?"

"Danny…I can't believe this…" Sam stated, still taken in by the sight.

"Hey, you should come up here during a thunderstorm. Then you'll REALLY see a show," Danny added, "Just…make sure you put earplugs in first."

"Danny, I really don't know what to say," Sam looked back at him, her eyes dancing, "It's just so…incredible."

"Yeah…that's true," Danny replied, "But sometimes…it's a little lonely too."

Danny paused for a moment, sighing before floating over to Sam and taking her hand.

"Sam, the thing is…I always wanted the chance to share this with someone. And to be honest…I was always hoping it would be with you…," he continued, pausing once more as he hung his head, "But…I just never wanted to take the chance before…well, because…"

"…Because I couldn't fly." Sam immediately understood as she folded her hands over his and looked deeply into his eyes. Danny may have had the strength to lift a school bus, but even that wasn't enough to change the possibility that if he had brought her up to this height when she was just plain old Sam, he could have still dropped her. And he might not have been able to catch her in time to save her if he did. Pulling a hand away and reaching up to slide it down his cheek, Sam offered up a reassuring smile. At that moment, she was pretty sure that she was starting to understand.

"Sam, I'll admit it. There is a part of me that thinks this is really cool right now," Danny said, "But every time I think that way, then I start thinking about what could happen and…I just can't help worrying about you."

"You mean the way I worried about YOU every time you were out there alone?" Sam replied.

"Okay, point taken," Danny conceded, "I guess there's just one thing to know."

"Hmm?" Sam looked at him curiously. Danny gave her serious look.

"Are YOU okay with it?"

As soon as she heard the question, Sam looked away thoughtfully. That really was the bottom line, wasn't it? Whether or not the decision met with her OWN approval. She seemed thoughtful for a few moments longer before she suddenly reached up and softly wrapped her arms around Danny's neck.

"What do YOU think?" she replied, looking into his eyes with a warm smile. Danny could only smile back as he pressed his forehead against hers and put his arms around her waist. The last thing he wanted to do was break up this moment, but he still felt the need to say a few things. Still, as they looked into each others' eyes and their lips slowly moved closer to each other, they seemed almost in a trance as they spoke.

"I'm still going to be watching out for you, you know."

"I think that's supposed to be my line."

"You know you're not going to be on the sidelines anymore. It's going to be a lot different now."

"Yeah. But I like it different."

It seemed as though Danny had finally run out of things to say as his lips met Sam's in a long, gentle kiss. Neither one of them wasted any time in pulling the other close as they held each other tight, both of them savoring the soft touch. It would be another few moments before their lips finally parted and they simply stared into each others' eyes both of them smiling with pure affection.

"It took you long enough," Sam stated quietly, "If you'd let a view like this go to waste much longer I was going to have to give you a smack in the head."

Danny simply chuckled under his breath as he gently pressed his forehead against Sam's and the two followed up with another soft peck. It was unsure how long they remained floating in the sky, holding each other. All they knew as they closed their eyes was if time stopped and the night never ended, that would be just fine with them.

Unfortunately, the night seemed to have different ideas as they both suddenly felt a familiar chill as the cold breath passed through their lips. It could only mean one thing as they looked into each others' eyes. But the feeling this time wasn't one of disappointment, as it had been before. Now, it was almost like a feeling of…anticipation.

"I guess that's our cue," Danny said, "Ready to go?"

Sam simply nodded with a confident smile as the pair flew back down to ground level at top speed.

* * *

The warehouse was almost pitch dark, save for the streetlights peering through the windows. It was long since closing time and the entire building was locked up tight. Of course, that wasn't going to stop any spectral intruder from making their presence known. 

The main floor of the warehouse was littered with piles of boxes and crates, waiting for shipping. A virtual treasure trove for one such as the Box Ghost as he phased his head through a wall and looked around before floating through the warehouse, gazing over his find. Wringing his hands in anticipation, his sinister grin held an expression of pure joy, almost like a child at Christmas. But before he had a chance to do anything, or even open his mouth for one of his famous gloats, a green flash pierced through the darkness just under his chin!

"You know, I'm going to be perfectly honest," the female voice immediately caught the Box Ghost's attention as he tilted his head slightly to see Sam leaning against a stack of boxes just a few inches away with a wicked grin on her face, holding a Ghost Ray blade to his throat, "I was reeeeeeeeally hoping it was you."

The Box Ghost could only look on in shock at what he was seeing! If he was expecting anyone, it was Danny Phantom! But this was someone entirely new! And Danny himself was floating just a few feet away, grinning with approval at what was happening. He didn't seem in any hurry to get involved either. He actually looked almost amused as he crossed his arms with a Fenton Thermos in hand, ready to go. But the Box Ghost wasn't going to get the chance to ask any questions as Sam grabbed the straps of his overalls with her free hand and yanked him over. Pulling back her other arm, the Ghost Ray blade shrank into a cocoon of ecto-energy around her hand!

"Allow me to re-introduce myself!" Sam announced as she pulled back her glowing fist!

WHAM!!!!!!

THE END


End file.
